


Now and Forever

by Bobo_is_tha_Bomb



Series: Ever After series [1]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Human Trafficking, Lemon, Lime, Reader Insert, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:40:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22400464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobo_is_tha_Bomb/pseuds/Bobo_is_tha_Bomb
Summary: You were fresh from the academy, and that meant being assigned to an experienced partner. But you hadn't expected him to be so damned handsome. Your attraction to him grows and it seems mutual, but Trowa is reluctant to let you in. When your mission goes disastrously wrong, you wonder if you will even make it out alive. And when a woman from Trowa's past is thrown into the mix, things seem to get even more complicated. But there is this sizzling attraction, and maybe it's even love... TrowaxReader
Relationships: Trowa Barton/Reader
Series: Ever After series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1373911
Kudos: 6





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before you start reading this story, keep in mind that I wrote the original version fifteen years ago... LOL. Since then my writing style has changed significantly, and for the better I hope. I have completely edited this story, wrote extra scenes and expanded the plot, but you can still see some of the old in it. Therefore, it might seem a little odd here and there, but I hope you’ll enjoy it nontheless! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing, its characters, or you.

**Now and Forever  
Part 1**

_Preventer Headquarters, Brussels, AC 203_

“This is Trowa. He’s gonna be your partner.” Duo walked into one of the offices lining the hallway you had been walking through. 

It was the first day at Preventer Headquarters for you, and Duo had been assigned as your guide. He had been helpful, showing you around and introducing you to the various departments. 

Duo made a gesture to the man who was seated behind his desk in the tiny, neat room. The guy was currently shifting through a thick folder, his hair covering the right side of his face, practically obscuring it from view. You stared at him. He was cute. No scratch that... this man was hot! His visible eye focused on you. Pure, deep, and intense green stared back at you. His hair was auburn, making his visible eye look even greener. His broad shoulders couldn’t be missed, not even under his Preventer uniform. You dared to bet all your lifesavings that under that uniform was a body to drool over. 

“Hi...” you managed to say.

He nodded in greeting.

“I have to get back. See ya!” Duo turned around and started to walk towards the door.

“Thanks Duo.” You turned around too.

“Don’t mention it!” he said cheerfully. “Good luck.”

You swallowed, before you turned back towards Trowa. He had stood up from his office chair and now you could see how tall he was. You were a bit unsure of what to say. You had already been in this office with this gorgeous man for a few minutes and he had yet to say a word to you.

“I’ll show you your office,” he said.

Jeez... voices like that should be illegal, because it sent shivers down your spine. You followed him out of the office and into the hallway. Your office wasn’t far from his. It wasn’t really big, just like Trowa’s, but you figured you would spend more time on missions than in this office. 

“You’ll have an hour a day to spend in the gym,” Trowa told you, after you had examined the view of Brussels from your window. “I’m going there at two. How about you join me?”

“Sure,” you said, while giving him a smile. 

“I want to see what your skills are,” he said. “Just to estimate when our first mission will be.”

You grinned at him mentioning a mission. “Any idea what kind of mission it will be?”

He shook his head. “No. But Commander Une says you’re good at what you do. When she thinks you’re ready we will get assigned a mission.”

You smirked a little, feeling a bit smug about Commander Une’s opinion about you. You glanced at the clock. A quarter to two. Almost time to prove yourself. After walking around Headquarters all day, shaking hands and meeting so many new people it dazzled you, the prospect of working out sounded heavenly. You were curious to find out what Trowa thought of your skills.

-x-x-x-

Trowa was impressed with your fighting skills. During the work-out you had managed to block all his moves. Of course, he hadn’t used his full strength, but you still had shown an impressive knowledge of self defense. You didn’t opt for strength, but instead decided on smart moves. He frowned at himself as he stood in the shower. He had not known that you would be so attractive.

He sighed and turned off the shower. He dried himself off and put on his boxers and jeans. He walked back into the dressing room, while toweling his hair dry. He curiously gazed up as he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called, as there was none else around.

You opened the door and stepped inside. When you caught sight of him, you nearly swallowed your tongue. Gods... this guy was yummy. All hard planes and muscles, skin littered with scars that only added to his appeal. _Nice six-pack_ , you thought.

Trowa threw the towel on the bench and grabbed his shirt. You gulped when you saw a droplet of water trail down his toned chest. You could only stare and desperately hoped he wouldn’t notice. You turned your eyes away when he put on his shirt. 

During the training you had noticed how graceful he moved... and the brutal way he tried to strike you, although you suspected he had not been using his full strength. If he was that good at fighting, how good was he at... you blushed furiously. You shouldn’t think of him like that, but you couldn’t help it.

“So… Uhm.” You cleared your throat and tried again. “What do you think?”

“Think of what?” he asked you, while pulling on his shirt.

You shrugged your shoulders. “About my abilities.”

“Aah…” He smoothed his wet hair with his hand and turned his back towards you. “I think you’re pretty adequate.”

“Adequate?” you echoed curiously.

“What you lack in strength you make up for with speed,” he explained, while starting to pack his bag.

You sat down on the bench next to him and smiled. “I heard that you only work as a Preventer the first part of the year. What do you do the other half?”

Now that you where at a lower level, you could see both his eyes and you felt thrilled by the intensity of them. 

“I work as a clown and acrobat in a circus,” he said.

Acrobat... that explained his grace. 

“Clown?” a soft giggle escaped your lips. You could hardly picture this serious, stoic man as a clown.

He smirked a little. He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Our shift is over. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” You stood and followed him out of the dressing room.

-x-x-x-

“How was your first work day?” your cousin Mandy asked over the VID-phone.

“It was great!” you beamed, eying the screen from the corner of your eyes.

You had set VID-phone on your vanity, so you could talk to Mandy, and do your hair at the same time. 

“They didn’t treat you as a rookie, did they?”

“Not at all. I think the organization is too young to look down on new people.” You shrugged and finished the braid you had been making. “They’re very glad when someone offers to work for them.”

“So, any hot guys you work with?” she questioned you, while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

You contemplated telling her about Trowa, but decided against it for the moment. You didn’t want her to get any ideas just yet.

“They’re quite okay,” you said vaguely. “I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to them much, you know.”

She giggled. “Sure, sure. I bet the building is filled with sexy men!”

“I’ve seen a few,” you said, while giving her a smile. 

“So… your partner. Is he nice?” 

You hummed an affirmative and started applying night cream to your face. “He’s a bit stoic, but I guess he is quite alright.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

You rolled your eyes. She knew you far too well. “Alright… He’s is very good looking.”

“There. That wasn’t too hard, now was it?” she asked you with a gleeful look. “Tell me about him.”

“There’s not much to tell. It’s only been my first day. He is silent and stoic, but quite nice.”

“His looks!” Mandy demanded.

You gave a little sigh. “He’s tall, broad shouldered, has very nice eyes, and-”

“I want more details,” she interrupted you.

You chuckled. “Alright.”

“What color are his eyes?”

“Green.”

“Oooh… that’s gotta make him look mysterious.” She gave a dreamy sigh.

“Mandy, you’re terrible!” you exclaimed.

“Hair color?” She ignored your exclamation and grinned at you.

“Auburn.” You cocked your head to the side as you thought about him. “I guess he could have been a model.”

Mandy giggled. “Nice.”

“But he is my partner, so I ought to think about him in a professional way.”

“Right.” 

You glanced at your alarm clock. “I should go to bed. Talk to you later okay?”

“Sure. Call me!”

Mandy broke the connection and you stared at the blank screen for a while. Think about your partner in a professional way. Despite his good looks, that shouldn’t be too hard… 

-x-x-x-

The next day, you arrived at work just in time to catch Duo in the hallway.

“Morning, Duo,” you greeted him cheerfully.

“Hey!” he followed you to your office. “How did your first day go?”

“Okay, I guess.” You unlocked the door to your office and stepped inside. “I guess that today I will really start.”

He grinned at you. “You guessed right.”

You gave him a smile. “Nice.”

“I gotta get started. See you later.” He waved at you as he left your office.

“Bye!” you called after him, while booting up your computer.

While it was starting up, you wandered down the hallway to Trowa’s office. He was seated behind his desk, typing away behind his computer when you poked your head around the doorway.

“Morning,” you greeted him.

He grunted in response and didn’t cease his typing. You stepped into his office and approached his desk. 

“Une sent me an email a little while earlier. You should have it as well,” he said. “We’ll receive a briefing in half an hour.”

“Any idea about what?”

His gaze left the screen and met yours. The barest hint of a smirk played over his lips. “Can’t you guess?”

Your eyes sparkled with excitement. “Are we getting a mission assignment?”

“Not sure,” he said with a shrug. “Chances are that we’re only gonna have to do research.”

“Well, it still gives us something to do!” You winked at him, before making your way out of his office. “See you later.”

“Right.”

You walked back into your office and sat down behind your desk, logging onto your computer. Sure enough, Commander Une had sent you an email as well. You read its contents thoroughly. In half an hour you were expected to be at the conference room on the top floor with Trowa, Duo, and somebody named Agent Yuy. You had yet to meet him, so you didn’t know his first name. You were curious to see what the meeting was about. Well, you would find out in half an hour.

You got up from your chair and left your office to go and find the coffee machine. You found it at the end of the hallway, in a little room that served as a kitchenette. A blonde woman with her hair in braids was pouring coffee in two mugs. She looked up when you entered the room.

“Good morning.” Her friendly greeting put you at ease immediately.

You smiled at her and greeted her back.

“Coffee as well?” she asked you.

You nodded and she went to retrieve a mug from one of the cupboards. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new here?”

“Yes, I just came from the academy,” you said.

She smiled and poured you some coffee. “Welcome then.”

She offered you her free hand, which you shook. “I’m Sally.”

“-Y/N-,” you introduced yourself.

“Aah, now I remember.” She handed you the mug and took the ones she had filled earlier. “You’re Trowa’s new partner.”

You nodded. 

“He’ll teach you a lot,” she said, while moving past you into the hallway. “Good luck, and if you need any info, just ask.”

“Thank you,” you said, warmed by her offer. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

You walked back to your office and spend the remaining time reading information on Preventer policies. You knew them of course, as knowing them had been part of the requirements for graduation from the academy, but you figured that going over them again wouldn’t hurt.

Five minutes before your meeting was about to start, Trowa knocked on the open door of your office. “Hey. Ready to go?”

You nodded and got up, grabbing a notepad and pen as you went. “Yes. Top floor, right?”

He nodded and pushed away from the doorpost. “Yeah.”

You followed him to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. 

“No sore muscles from our work out yesterday?” he asked you as you stepped into the elevator.

You shook your head. “Nope.”

“Good. Then we can work out again today.”

“Sure.” 

You gave him a smile, even though butterflies exploded in your stomach at the thought of seeing him like that again. With that intent look in his eyes and a light sheen of sweat on his skin. But this time you would try to get under his skin so much, he wouldn’t be holding back on you. 

The elevator arrived on the top floor. You stepped out and found Duo and another agent waiting in the hallway.

You gave Duo a smile and then made your way over to the other agent. You extended your hand towards him. “Hi. I’m -Y/N-.”

He gave your hand a firm shake. “Heero.”

He regarded you with a hooded expression, as if he wasn’t sure if he should be nice to you or not. Not easily fazed, you turned towards the door of the conference room when it opened. A group of agents poured out. Once the conference room was empty, you followed Trowa, Duo, and Heero inside. Commander Une was standing in front of the floor to ceiling windows on the other side of the room, which provided a great view of Brussels. 

“Be seated,” she stated curtly. 

You sat down with a growing feeling of excitement. A laptop and beamer where set up on the table and Commander Une walked towards it, starting up a PowerPoint presentation. 

“A situation, which concerns me greatly, has risen to my attention,” she began, looking each of you in the eye before continuing. “The past few months countless women have disappeared.”

Duo frowned. “How does that relate to us? We have the police to take care of cases such as this, right?”

“I thought so too in the beginning,” Commander Une said, while pressing a key on the laptop. On the screen a map of Earth appeared. “These women were kidnapped from places all over the world. But it does not limit itself to Earth.”

Another click and a dozen of photos of women appeared on the screen. Beneath each photo the location where the women were kidnapped was displayed. Your eyes widened when you saw that these women came from all colony clusters.

“Damn,” Duo breathed as he concluded the same thing. 

“It’s a whole network.” Heero leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. 

“It doesn’t end there.” Une straightened. “All these women have one thing in common. Each of them is related in some way to former soldiers who fought in the Eve Wars.”

You gazed at Trowa and saw a frown appear on his face. “Related in some way?”

“Yes,” Une continued, “they are wives, sisters, girlfriends, daughters, you name it. This is what makes it our problem: this network apparently has access to old databases in which names of former soldiers are registered.”

“Or new ones,” Duo stated. “Even we are listed in those databases.”

“Yes, and you know the reason for that.” Une gave him a cool stare, which indicated that this wasn’t the first time Duo brought this up. 

“What happens to those women?” Heero asked, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the room.

Une sighed. “At this point, we don’t know yet. Which is why I called the four of you in. This network is too big for the police to handle, so we will have to solve the mystery. Within two days I expect a plan of approach on my desk.”

With that said, the meeting was over, and you were allowed to go back to your office. You walked after the three men towards the elevator. 

“Let’s have a meeting about this later on,” Duo suggested. “I need to round up my report first.”

“Hn.” Heero grunted a quiet response.

Trowa only gave a nod and exited the elevator. You followed him into his office.

“This seems like a really big case,” you said, while seating yourself in the chair in front of his desk. 

“Research is the first step. A mission may be the next one.”

“These databases that Commander Une mentioned, why do they exist?” you asked, curious to know the answer.

Trowa leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest. You noticed how the movement made his biceps bulge under his shirt, and you swallowed. Good heavens…

“These databases exist for several reasons,” he started. “In case of calamities, the soldier’s family will receive funding for his or her service to the ESUN. But they also exist to keep an eye on us.”

You noticed how he used the word ‘us’. Thanks to Duo, you knew Trowa had to be registered as well. “Why would they do that?”

He gave a little sigh. “Not all ex-soldiers are in a stable mental condition after the wars. The data bases keep track on their progress after treatment and enables us to find any potential threats.”

So he had fought in the war? But wouldn’t that mean that head had been a super young soldier then? 

“But those are the new databases, right?” you continued questioning, “What about the old ones?”

“They pretty much served the same purpose. The data in them was moved to the new data bases with the forming of the Preventers. Some of them where lost during the wars, but apparently they’re still accessible.” 

“Can we get into them?” you wondered. “There’s gotta be some pattern in these kidnappings, don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” he said. “They could also choose these women randomly to avoid suspicion.”

You nodded. “I’m sure we’ll find out.”

You continued discussing the case for a while, until it was time for your coffee break. After the break, you, Duo, Heero, and Trowa sat down to discuss the plan. While Duo and Heero were to hack into the old databases, you and Trowa would do research on the circumstances under which the women had disappeared. During the meeting, Heero typed up the plan of approach and promised to deliver it to Une. 

By the time you were done, it was time for your work out. You were amazed that the time went by so fast. You went to the gym and changed into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. You wandered out of the dressing room and found Trowa doing a series of sit ups in the gym. He was wearing baggy sweatpants and a black tank top, which gave you a delicious view of those arms. He looked up when you approached him, but didn’t cease his movements. 

“Start warming up,” he told you.

You nodded and started your warm-up routine, trying to ignore him, as he switched to a series of push-ups. You were failing miserably. Oh God, those arms… You felt your mouth run dry and swallowed thickly. How was it possible for a man to be so sinfully beautiful, without him even noticing it himself? You heaved a quiet sigh and walked towards him when your warming up was done. 

“Ready?” he asked.

You nodded.

“Good.” He got up and came to stand opposite you, his stance seemingly relaxed.

But you studied him quietly, trying to find weak spots. There was a slight tension to his shoulders, indicating that he would retaliate as soon as you would try to attack him. His hands were held loosely at his sides, but were ready to curl into fists any moment. 

“What are you waiting for?” he asked you.

You snorted. “Nothing.”

You launched yourself at him, aiming a kick at his knee. You preferred his stomach, but that would mean he could use his hands a lot easier to defend himself. He was quick to move out of your way, and gave you a small smirk. You knew that he would make you work to keep up with him, but you didn’t expect any less. The next twenty minutes, you found yourself dodging punches and kicks, and returning the favor. But in the end, you felt a little frustrated, because he was holding back on you again. You understood that maybe he respected you too much to land a solid punch, but darn it. If you were to go on a mission, you couldn’t expect criminals to go easy on you either, simply because you were a woman!

But you decided against speaking up about it yet. You didn’t want him to think that you were a nuisance. And besides that, despite him holding back, he had already taught you a lot more than the academy ever could. 

You wiped the sweat from your brow as you drank from your bottle of water. Trowa didn’t seem half so worn out as you felt, and you fought the urge to scowl. You were sure the work out showed on your face. Your cheeks felt hot and you knew they had to be red from exertion. Not so charming… You glanced at the clock. Your shift was almost over, so you could take your time and shower, before going home. That was the advantage of taking the early morning shifts.

“I’ll ask Duo to work out with you tomorrow,” Trowa said suddenly.

“Oh?” you gave him a questioning look.

“He has a very different fighting style,” he said. “Might teach you something more.”

You smiled, happy with the fact that he was offering to help you improve. “Sure. Why not.”

You finished your water and got up from the bench you were sitting on. “I’m gonna take a shower. See you tomorrow.”

“Hn.” He grunted in response. 

You walked back to the dressing rooms and threw a look over your shoulder as you opened the door. He was still sitting on the bench, gazing at the opposite wall with a thoughtful expression on his face. So gorgeous… You bit your lip to contain your smile as you continued on your way, and mentally scolded yourself once you were inside.

What the hell were you doing? You shouldn’t be having such thoughts about your partner. Nothing good would come from that. But you couldn’t help it. After all, who wouldn’t notice such a sexy Adonis?

-x-x-x-

The next day you spent your time doing research on the disappearances, looking at all the information you could find. During the afternoon you worked out with Duo. Trowa had been right. Duo had a very different fighting style. Where Trowa’s moves were precise and came from knowledge, Duo’s style was much more self taught and abrasive. Sometimes you even dared to think he would fight dirty if he had the chance. It was a style that suited you a lot more, because Duo didn’t stop to think about how hard the punches were he threw at you.

“Come on,” he ground out, when you took a few steps back to catch your breath. “You can’t pause on a mission!”

You took a deep breath and attacked him again, your muscles straining with your effort. You were momentarily distracted when the door to the gym opened. Trowa came walking in, and Duo was quick to use your distraction against you. He tackled you and you smacked against the ground, momentarily breathless as the action knocked the wind out of you.

“Never get distracted,” you heard Duo say, his tone stern. “Do you understand?”

You gasped in some much needed oxygen and nodded. “Yes.”

“Good. You okay?” His tone changed back to its normal cheerful self and you sat up slowly.

“I guess so,” you said carefully, lifting your arms above your head to see if the action wouldn’t hurt. 

Trowa crouched down on the matt next to you and offered you a bottle of water. You gave him a grateful look and accepted the bottle, drowning half of it to soothe your parched throat. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Trowa asked you. “It looked like you fell quite hard.”

He leveled a stern look in Duo’s direction, who only shrugged. “You said I had to work out with her, and I’m not holding back on her because she’s a woman.”

The stern look turned into a glare. “You can’t expect her to hold her own against you after only three days in the office.”

“She was doing fine until you walked in.”

“Guys!” you snapped, getting a little irritated with their discussion and their total ignorance of you. “I’m right here.”

“Sorry,” Duo gave you a sheepish grin. 

Trowa just grunted and stood up. “Can you get up?”

You nodded and slowly rose into a standing position. The concerned look he gave you was kind of cute, but you hurried to put him at ease. “I’m fine! Really.”

“If you say so.” He took a step back, giving you some more space.

“Just a good hot shower and you’ll be okay,” Duo assured you, while patting your shoulder. “You got some good techniques!”

“Thanks.” You gave him a smile, happy with him compliment. “I’ll be going then.”

Trowa just grunted and you raised an eyebrow in surprise. One moment he was all concern, and now he was being his stoic self again. Whatever… You shrugged and left the gym, not seeing the surprised look that Duo directed at your partner. You scowled when the door of the dressing room shut behind you. Men were so damn confusing. You sighed and grabbed your bag from your locker and went to take a shower. You took your time, relaxing under the hot cascade of water as it soothed your muscles. Truth to be told, your back did feel a little sore, but you were not going to admit that. You didn’t want them to think you were weak rookie.

After your shower, you dressed and left the dressing room, intend on going home since your shift was over. But Trowa intercepted you in the hallway. “-Y/N-?”

“Yes?” you turned towards him.

“I think you might want to take a look at this.” He handed you a tablet and you curiously gazed at its screen.

Your brows drew together in a frown, once you realized what you were seeing. “Is this for real?”

“Seems like it,” he said. “Come on.”

You followed him to the elevator. The ride up to the floor on which your offices were located was silent, although you were practically aching to question him on his findings. He mentioned you to follow him and you walked after him towards Heero’s office. 

“You said you found something?” Heero went straight to business, as soon as you set foot in his office, his eyes not leaving his computer screen.

“Yeah. Think you might want to take a look at this.” Trowa took the tablet from you and handed it to Heero, who gave it a quick once over. 

“Shit.”

“It’s gotta be really serious if you start cursing, yanno…” Duo came walking into the office as well, his braid a wet mess. “Let me see that.”

Duo’s reaction was a little fouler than Heero’s. “Fuck.”

“You said you thought this was legit,” you addressed Trowa. 

He nodded. “I’m pretty sure it is. We have photos of these women in our research files.”

“So this is like what? A website where you can buy a woman?” Duo seemed really irked. 

“More like a sex slave.” Heero grabbed the tabled from Duo again. “These prices are insane.”

“Was it easy to find this website?” you asked Trowa, while sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Heero’s desk.

Trowa shook his head. “No. It’s very discreet and you can only access it if you have an account.”

“Account?” you echoed in confusion.

“Like a moderated one. They’re very careful with letting people on their website.” 

“Not careful enough, it seems,” Duo said darkly. “But this should make our search easier.”

Heero nodded. “I’ll start on hacking this first thing tomorrow.”

“We should keep a tab on to who these women are sold,” you said, while pushing a wet lock of hair behind your ear. “That will make it easier to get them back, right?”

Heero nodded. “Yes. But we can’t make a move until we know more.”

You nodded, knowing you had no choice but to wait until you could save these women from their horrible fate. There was no point in rushing this until you knew everything. 

Duo grinned. “I’d say we got ourselves a mission.”

That prospect made you feel giddy. You knew you were ready for a mission. But your partner had yet to confirm that. You just had to work a little harder to show him you were cut out for this job. 

“We’ll have to tell Une about this,” Duo said. “I’ll contact her for a meeting tomorrow morning.”

“Sure.” Trowa nodded and turned his head to look at you. “Can you gather all the information we’ve found so far?”

You nodded. “I will.”

“Good.” Heero handed the tablet back to Trowa. “Now, get out of my office. I have a report to finish.”

You chuckled as Duo muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like ‘antisocial bastard’, and got up, intending to head home and organize your research findings. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Yeah…” Duo gave you a little wave as he walked out of Heero’s office.

You and Trowa left the office together. 

“We have to do something about this soon,” you said, while you were waiting for the elevator. “I wish we knew a lot more already, so we could save those women.”

Trowa was silent for a while, before speaking up. “I’m sure that Une will give us orders tomorrow.”

“Do you think we have a mission?”

He gave a little shrug. “I think we might have one. But it can take a few weeks before we can actually go.”

You gazed down at the floor in silence for a while. “I guess we just have to work very hard.”

“Hn.” His quiet grunt was your only response. 

You gave him a small smile. “We’ll manage, right?”

His lips quirked ever so slightly and he nodded. “I’m sure we will.”

You grinned as the elevator reached the ground floor and stepped out. “Great. See you tomorrow.”

-x-x-x-

Une was very pleased with the progress in your research. Heero had worked onto hacking the website already and he was getting closer to the organization’s core. You and Trowa were trying to find the main people in the organization, and with Heero’s help on the website, you had a feeling that you were making quick progress. It took you two weeks to figure out who the people behind the organization were. 

Six men in total, three on Earth, three in the Colonies. The one living closest to Brussels had a hotel in Spain, and you quickly discovered that two kidnappings happened in that area. 

“We should start here,” you said to Trowa one day, dropping the file onto his desk. “His hotel database indicates that two of the other suspects visit him every year during the summer.”

Trowa studied the information for a while, his handsome face hidden by his hair as he pondered. “We need to figure out a way to infiltrate.”

“You mean like working at the hotel?” you asked. 

“Something like that.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I’m guessing that Une already has an outline for a possible mission.”

“But?” You could feel that he was keeping something from you.

He shrugged. “There’s no but.”

“Yeah, right.” You plopped down in the chair in front of his desk and gave him a stern look. “Don’t keep things from me.”

“I’m not sure if you’re ready yet,” he said. 

Your eyes widened in surprise, only to narrow with disappointment. “I’m ready for a mission.”

“You can’t hold your own against me yet.”

“No, that’s because you’re holding back against me,” you snapped. 

His look was mildly surprised. “So you figured it out.”

“Yes, and I don’t see why I should give my full hundred percent, if you don’t do it either.” You got up and stomped out of his office, leaving him to gaze after you in astonishment. 

You grumbled to yourself as you made your way back to your office. The last two weeks your frustration with Trowa had grown. You worked fine as research partners, he praised you with every new find, every detail, but in the gym… He didn’t see you as his equal there, while you needed his approval there too. It frustrated you to no end. You hadn’t spoken up about it until today, because you had hoped that after a few weeks his attitude would change. But it hadn’t. You locked yourself up into your office and spend the rest of the day doing more research. A two sharp you stomped into the gym. Trowa was waiting there as usual, not paying any mind to your foul mood. He didn’t speak as you started warming up, and that only added to your frustration. 

As soon as you were done, you launched yourself at him, not giving him any time to prepare for your onslaught. Despite your anger, you stayed focused as you directed punches and kicks at him. He blocked each move, not seeming fazed at all. After a while he took a step back, shaking his shoulders loose and gave you a calm stare.

“Are you done?” he asked you.

You growled. “Screw you, Barton.”

He unexpectedly aimed a kick at your stomach, but you were quick to dodge, bouncing back on your heels, and returning the favor with a kick of your own. You danced out of his reach again and gave him a small, satisfied smirk. The smirk was replaced with a concentrated look, however, when he attacked you again, but this time he didn’t stop after one kick.

You worked yourself into a sweat, trying to block each of his moves and obtaining various bruises in the process. He was much faster than you, but you needed him to be. You needed to become stronger, better, maybe even his equal. You groaned when he floored you, your arms breaking your fall as you hit the ground. You quickly rolled over and got up again, directing a punch at his jaw, which he blocked by grabbing your fist.

“Enough,” he said.

You scowled. “No. I was just getting started.”

“Stop being stubborn,” he told you calmly, while taking a step back. “I got it, okay?”

You raised an eyebrow in question, and gave him a skeptical look. “Got what?”

“That you’re strong enough to handle a mission.”

His words sounded reluctant and you wanted to snap at him for his hesitation.

“Actually,” he continued. “I think the mission could be very successful.”

“Oh?”

“Une send me an email about an hour ago,” he said. “She has our mission outlined.”

Your mind focused on the word ‘our’. “Our mission?”

“Yeah. Just the two of us with Duo and Heero as back up.” He offered you his hand as some sort of peace offering. “So, what do you say, partner?”

You grinned and gripped his hand in a firm handshake. “I’m in.”

A hint of a smile ghosted over his face. “Good. How about we grab a coffee and I’ll explain the mission to you?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Half an hour later you found yourself in a small, charming cafe, sipping a large cappuccino. Trowa drank his coffee black. You figured it suited him, no nonsense. No bullshit. You sat back in your chair and put your coffee down, keeping your fingers wrapped around the warm cup.

“So…” you started. “Spill.”

He took his time, taking another sip of coffee, before setting his cup down. His eyes met yours and you fought the blush you felt rising to your cheeks under his intense gaze. Until then, it hadn’t even occurred to you that he was gonna explain a Preventer mission in the middle of a public cafe, but at this time of day it was nearly deserted, and he wouldn’t have taken you here if he didn’t trust the people working there. 

“Our mission is gonna take place two weeks from now,” he said, leaning back in his seat as well. “I hope you are a good actress.”

You gave him a comical look. “What’s that got to do with our mission?”

“Une didn’t want us to infiltrate the hotel as staff. Too much trouble with back ground checks and all that,” Trowa said. “So far, these men have no idea that we’re on their case, so Une wants us to go there on a vacation.”

“Eh?” 

“As a couple.”

Your eyes widened. “What?!?” 

_How the hell am I gonna survive that?!?_

A small smirk crossed his face. “It shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Er…” You blinked, and then gave him a weird look. “Not too hard?”

“It’s basically like a vacation,” he told you.

“It’s work.”

He shrugged. “Hn.”

 _A hotel in Spain... means a lot of sun, which means bathing suits... We have to act like a couple, which means a lot of touching... him in swimming trunks... OH SHIT!_ You nearly fainted at the thought. _I'm going to touch him, while he is in fact half naked!_

“How long will it be?” you asked, desperately trying to keep the blush from rising to your cheeks.

“It depends. Une told me to book for two weeks, but if they take the bait, it will be shorter.”

“I’m the bait,” you realized suddenly. Your eyes widened and your face paled at the thought.

He nodded.

“You are insane! You’re going to wait until they kidnap me?” you exploded.

“Don’t worry. I will protect you.” He was dead serious, so you had no choice but to believe him. But still.

“I’m the bait!” You slapped your hand over your forehead and groaned.

“This is what you signed up for.”

“I know.” You gave him a half hearted glare. “But this doesn’t make me feel comfortable. What if they do manage to kidnap me?”

“I just told you I would protect you.” 

“Sure your will,” you said, laughing. But to you, it felt more like a sarcastic laugh. He was gonna use you as bait. 

“You better stick to your words about protecting me. If you don’t…”

“You’ll be alright,” he said calmly. “You just proved you are quite capable at holding your own in a fight.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, yeah…”

He smirked. It was quite clear that you amused him. 

“Duo and Heero will be at a different hotel, just in case.”

You sighed, feeling more confident at that notion. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

He nodded. You smiled. You finished your drinks, paid the bill, and left the cafe. 

“See you tomorrow,” you said.

He nodded, “Yeah...”

-x-x-x-

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll die the first day,” you said, twisting the phone cord around your fingers.

“Is he that hot?” Mandy asked.

You nodded, even though you knew she couldn’t see you. You had opted for the phone, because the idea of the mission had left you reeling, and you didn’t want Mandy to figure out that you were worried. Not so much about the possible kidnapping anymore, but about something else entirely. You attraction to your partner.

“Mandy, I’ve seen him without a shirt. I nearly swallowed my tongue!” you whined. “What if I happened to walk in on him in the bathroom and he was naked?”

“You would jump him,” Mandy stated dryly.

“Ugh, you’re not helping any.” You squeezed your eyes shut and groaned. “I have to be professional.”

“Uhuh…” you could hear the glee in her tone. “You gotta be professional, with your very attractive partner sitting next to you without a shirt.”

You wanted to scream at her.

“Say, did he lay down any ground rules about the acting as a couple?”

“Ground rules?” You directed a confused look at the ceiling.

“You know… about how far you can take the acting as a couple.”

“Oooh…” You drawled, realization finally setting in. “No, he didn’t.”

“Ha! Well, then you better make sure you do.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” You sighed. “This is gonna be a disaster.”

She giggled. “-Y/N-, getting laid by your partner is not a disaster.”

“Haha, very funny!” you muttered.

“I bet you would love to know what’s in his pants.” 

You slapped your hand over your eyes. “Mandy!”

“Don’t start drooling at the thought...”

“I hate you!”

Mandy giggled. “No, you don’t.”

“Whatever. I gotta go.”

“Yeah. Call me later, okay?”

“Sure.”

You hung up and put the phone on the nightstand. You groaned and turned over on your side, burying your face in your pillow. Damn her for putting these mental images in your mind. It didn’t help you at all… Two weeks from now, you would be in Spain, lying on the beach next to your sexy partner, who obviously wasn’t interested in you. And you had to act like a couple. A FREAKING COUPLE!!! How did Une think this was a good idea?

You sighed deeply. What were you gonna do?

-x-x-x-

On the other side of Brussels, Trowa was being plagued by similar thoughts. Ever since you became his partner, he found himself wondering what you were doing after work, if you thought about him… Those were the more innocent thoughts. Often at night, he would wonder about what would happen if he kissed you. Sometimes he would find himself thinking about how your skin would taste, or how it would be to… It was stupid. He shouldn’t allow himself to have such thoughts about you.

He shook his head at himself and sighed. This was going nowhere, he reminded himself. You were his partner and he had to be professional. So he wasn’t going to think about you in that way anymore. He was going to do this mission, and he was going to keep his hands to himself. He would keep his distance.

He sighed again when the vid-phone rang. He stood up and walked towards the device to pick up.

“Yes?”

“Hey there!” Duo’s voice sounded over the line, a moment before his face appeared on the screen.

Trowa grunted in greeting, but on the inside he wanted to groan. Duo was the last person he wanted to talk to right now.

“How are her fighting skills? Has she improved?”

Trowa sighed and pressed his hand against the wall next to the vid-phone. “We had some sort of argument today,” he found himself saying.

“Oh?” Duo’s eyebrows raised in question. “About what?”

“Me holding back on her.”

Duo grinned. “She’s a tough one, isn’t she?”

“Hn.” Trowa nodded. “So I gave in a little this afternoon.”

He would never go up against you in a fight using his full strength. But that was something you didn’t have to know. He’d rather die than hit a woman. 

“She knows how to counter each move and she is a lot stronger than I first thought.”

Duo smirked. “That’s good. So, the mission in gonna go through?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard quite a few guys are jealous of you.”

“What do you mean?” Trowa asked. Of course he knew, but he didn’t want Duo to know about his attraction to you. He would never hear the end of it.

“Come on! Your partner is fucking sexy! You’re not going to tell me you didn’t notice that!” Duo exclaimed.

“Duo... She is my partner.”

“Oh, so you did notice!”

Trowa growled, his eyes narrowing into a glare. “Do you want me to kill you?”

“Aw... you’re no fun!”

“Of course not. I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow.” He hung up, effectively cutting off anything Duo wanted to say.

He was not gonna discuss his partner with Duo. In fact, he just had to force himself to forget about her. 

-x-x-x-

Two weeks later, you found yourself receiving your final briefing before the mission. Your suitcase was in Trowa’s car, packed with summer clothes. You felt an increasing excitement as the meeting neared its end, knowing that now the time had come to really prove yourself. You were going to show Trowa that you could handle the mission. 

And you were going to do it in a professional way.

“Is everything clear?” Commander Une asked.

Everyone nodded. The plan was very clear: act like a couple, talk a lot about Trowa being an ex-soldier, wait until they take the bait.

“Agent -L/N-, I want you to be careful. Don’t become their victim,” Une said.

“Yes, Ma’am,” you said.

“Barton.”

“I will protect her.” Trowa’s words were calm and sure. 

“Good.”

Everyone got up and left the room. On your way to the airport, you discussed the mission. Heero and Duo would separate themselves from you and Trowa as soon as you got off the plane, so that none would notice that you were in some way related. Trowa and you would go to the hotel, and check in with Duo and Heero on a regular basis, to let them know your discoveries. Other than that, you had to sit on your ass for two weeks and wait for your suspects to make a move. Not too bad, but a lot more difficult with a partner like Trowa. 

You swallowed thickly and gazed at him from the corner of your eyes. The way he held himself was relaxed, but you could practically feel the tension between the two of you building. You didn’t know if he was attracted to you as well, but there was definitely something there…

“You okay?” he asked suddenly, causing you to stiffen in surprise.

“Y-yeah…” You mentally berated yourself for stuttering. This wouldn’t help you any. “Just a little nervous, I guess.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything,” he said assuringly. “Just stick to my side and nothing will happen to you.”

“I know.” You gave him a small smile. “I just hope we’ll be able to catch them.”

He grunted in response. The rest of the drive was spent in silence. At the airport, you met up with Duo and Heero and you checked in together. You wandered around the airport for a while, and settled down at a table near a restaurant.

“So...” Duo started, once had sat down next to you. “Tell us something about you that we don’t know yet.”

“What is there to tell?” you joked, “I had to pass all the background checks too, you know.” 

“No boyfriend?” Duo asked.

Trowa narrowed his eyes and sent Duo a murderous glare.

“I had one,” you said with a shrug. “I broke up with him before my graduation. He couldn’t handle me leaving for Brussels and all that.”

Duo nodded and smirked. “Do you like traveling?”

You smiled. “I do.”

Heero sighed, clearly annoyed. He had seen the way Trowa had glared at Duo. It was obvious Trowa liked you and Duo knew. And now Duo was trying to find out if you would fit. By the way the idiot grinned, he was already making plans to set you up. 

Trowa crossed his arms. He would be really happy if he was at the hotel. No Duo... but that brought him to other ideas. You and he would be alone for two weeks... in a hotel room with a double bed. He quickly bit down on his tongue to keep himself from those thoughts. He would not... He glanced at you. You where wearing your hair loose today. It framed your face and made you look twice as alluring. Gods... this mission was going to be a hell... How was he going to resist you? 

_Focus_ , he told himself. He was a grown man, not some hormonal teenager who couldn’t handle himself. 

Half an hour later, he found himself sitting next to you in the air plane. Duo and Heero were sitting behind you, quietly discussing something. It was clear that Heero wasn’t too happy with Duo, but Trowa decided not to interfere. Those two argued a lot and it wouldn’t be handy to get in between them. Next to him, you fell asleep and he found himself admiring your peaceful features.

And of course, Duo had to comment. “Ya know... If I had a partner like that then...”

“Then what?” The click of a gun was heard and several passengers around them gasped in fear as Heero pointed the barrel at Duo.

Trowa nearly rolled his eyes. He damn well knew that Heero wasn’t going to shoot Duo. This was just part of their usual banter. Some crazy old joke that neither of them got tired of.

“No... He is not going to hijack the plane! He just wants to kill me,” Duo babbled nervously.

“Oh, how much I want to kill you!” Heero growled. “But if I did...”

“You would miss me?”

“I swear... If I hear one more word coming out of your mouth, I will shoot you!”

“Alright...” Duo smiled innocently. “I won’t pester Trowa again...”

For a full ten minutes Duo was quiet. Then he started to hum.

Trowa scowled. “Here I was, enjoying the silence...”

“Did you just make a joke?” Duo asked, obviously surprised.

“Of course not.”

Beside him, you stirred. You opened your eyes and groaned when the bright light assaulted your vision. “What’s up with all the noise...” you mumbled sleepily.

“Nothing...” Trowa said.

You stretched in your seat and yawned. “Hmmm…”

That sound did weird things to his stomach… and other parts of his anatomy. Shit. He sighed and turned his eyes towards the window. You leaned over and smiled when you saw the sea.

“We’re almost there...” you said.

He grunted. You had to go away now. Your perfume was making his mouth water, and your hair tickling on his arm made him want to do things he really ought not to think about. You were too damn close. Trowa turned back towards you. You didn’t seem to mind being so close to him. He felt your breath against his cheek. Unconsciously, he moved closer to you. Suddenly common sense kicked him and he turned away again. What was he about to do? You were his partner. He had to stay away. 

You sat back in your seat. Had he just nearly… kissed you? You felt disappointed that he had stopped, but you understood. You had seen it in his eyes. You were his partner. And besides, they were in an airplane, **with Duo behind you**. But damn it, he was so sexy and those eyes...

But you had to focus on your mission. And it was coming closer with each passing minute. An half an hour later, you where standing at the airport in Valencia.

Duo smirked, before exiting the plane. “Be careful.”

“I think the only one who should be careful is you,” Trowa said dryly, as he followed and Heero smirked.

Duo pouted, but then grinned over his shoulder. “You just wait, Barton.”

You giggled and shook your head at the braided man’s antics, as you followed the men to pick up your luggage. From there you separated. You made sure to stay close to Trowa, just to give people the impression that you were really together. After you had gotten your luggage, you took a cab to the hotel. The ride didn’t take long. The cab driver informed you in heavily accented English that this part of the country was the best, and that you definitely had to visit some of the villages along the coast. 

You stomach was doing somersaults as the taxi rolled to a stop in front of the hotel. It was big and luxurious, and from the outside you would never had thought it could be owned by a criminal. You met Trowa’s gaze for a moment. You could read the question in his eyes. Were you ready?

You gave him a curt nod, and he got out of the car. You followed him and took a deep breath. Time to act. You took your suitcase from the taxi driver and then slipped your hand into Trowa’s.

It felt like an electric shock ran through your body at the contact with his callused fingers, and you wondered if he had felt it too. You walked inside the hotel lobby. 

“You sure did book a nice hotel,” you said, smiling and looked around, pretending to be interested in the building. But secretly, you were already checking for any signs of your suspect. 

The lobby was enormous, and decorated in a modern style. Several comfortable sofas and chairs where placed into it. In the middle was an enormous table, which held several large vases with extravagant bouquets. Trowa pulled you to the information desk on the right. The man behind it handled him a few papers which he had to fill in. You stood beside him. Trowa’s eyes snapped towards you when you started to caress his arm in a seemingly innocent manner.

You gave him an innocent look, but on the inside you were reeling at the feeling of those strong muscles beneath your fingertips. Trowa finished filling in the papers a little difficultly. If you kept doing that, he wouldn’t survive this mission. He was already cursing himself for allowing Une to sign you up as his partner. 

The man behind the desk gave him the key to your room. “Your room is on the second floor,” He said, before turning towards the next person. 

You walked towards the elevator, which was located close to the information desk. Trowa followed you and grabbed your hand. The elevator doors opened, revealing a tall man clad in an elegant suit. Trowa pulled you closer and wrapped his arm around you waist, not giving you the opportunity to give the man leaving the elevator a once over.

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks at his proximity and hid it by pressing your face against his shoulder. He smelled nice. You closed your eyes and breathed in his scent deeply. Jeez... how where you going to survive this?

The elevator doors opened on the second floor and you stepped out of it. You walked into the hallway. Trowa found the hotel room and unlocked the door. You walked inside and blushed once more. You had known about the bed, but now... You weren’t so sure anymore.

“Did you really have to book a room with a double bed?” you asked.

“I don’t bite,” he said.

You rolled your eyes. “But I do.”

He smirked, but then he turned serious again. “That man in the elevator is the hotel owner.”

You blinked. “Aah… But he saw us together, so that makes it easier.”

He nodded, before throwing his duffel bag on the bed. “I’m gonna get freshened up.”

“Sure.” You were already opening your suitcase.

He walked into the bathroom. “Oh, that’s right.” He paused in the doorway. “I’m sleeping on the left.”

“No, I’m sleeping on the left,” you turned towards him, and gave him a challenging look. 

“You’re gonna bite me?” he asked.

You grinned. “Wanna bet?”

**\- End part 1 -**


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update time! :)  
> I hope you’ll enjoy this part! Please let me know what you think of it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing, its characters, or you.

**Now and Forever  
Part 2**

_Hotel Playa Blanca, Spain, AC 203_

You fought the urge to blush as you lifted up the soft cotton summer dress you were wearing, a little bit uncomfortable with your partner next to you. _Man up,_ you chided yourself. You had seen him without his shirt on. He could see you in your bikini. Trowa didn’t seem to feel any scruples and stripped off his shirt. You swallowed and focused on folding up your dress, not meeting his eyes as he looked at you.

You had decided that you would spend the afternoon at the pool, so that you could get an indication of the hotel, the staff, and maybe, another glimpse of the owner. Trowa had managed to score two comfortable lounge chairs, and you spread out your towel on one of them. You could barely keep yourself from raising an eyebrow as he pushed his lounge chair against yours. You were supposed to play a couple, you reminded yourself. He was more at ease with the idea than you were, obviously. 

For a moment you thought back to the almost kiss on the air plane. _It would have been really stupid to do that,_ you thought. Especially with Duo sitting behind you. But damn it, how were you supposed to stay away from a handsome guy like Trowa? You pouted and fished a book out of your bag. You would keep your thoughts away from him, you decided, while opening the book. 

Your partner settled on the chair beside you, turning over on his stomach. He rested his weight on his elbows and looked at you. Feeling his gaze, you turned your head to look at him. His lips twitched in a barely noticeable smile, and you felt your own lips tugging in response. 

“So…,” he began quietly. “What do you think so far?”

You shrugged and looked around, trying to form an opinion on the hotel. “It hardly seems like it’s owned by a criminal,” you said softly. “He provided himself with a good cover.”

“Hmm…” He hummed in agreement. “We should try to draw his attention. Maybe if we can get him interested in us, he will break his cover a little more easily.”

You swallowed as you once more realized that you were the bait in this mission. You firmly reminded yourself of Trowa’s promise to protect you, and forced yourself to relax. 

“So, what do you have in mind?” you questioned him.

He gave a little shrug. “We’ll figure something out.”

You gave him a look from the corner of your eyes. “Are you saying you don’t have a plan yet?”

He smirked. “First, we have to observe. We plan as we go along.”

“Uhuh…”

“Is that sarcasm?”

You gave him a grin. “Glad you recognize it.”

He chuckled and turned over on his back, stretching out on his chair. Your eyes were inadvertently drawn to those incredible washboard abs. Shoot. He was going to be the dead of you. You swallowed thickly, before focusing on your book again. _Keep your thoughts straight,_ you scolded yourself. _This is going nowhere._

The hours passed by and you relaxed more and more as you fell into the role of playing Trowa’s girlfriend. He made it easy. He took the initiative to hold your hand or wrap his arm around your shoulders. You just had to follow his lead and stopped feeling insecure about the whole thing. If he could do it, so could you.

But then the feared evening came. You had a simple, early dinner at one of the hotel’s restaurants, before heading back to your room. You didn’t feel like changing before dinner first, as that would mean being alone with Trowa in your room. You wanted to stall a little. But all too soon, you couldn’t avoid it anymore.

Back in your hotel room, Trowa went to take a shower first. You retrieved you underwear and nightgown from your suitcase and wrapped it into your towel, all the while throwing nervous glances at the bed. 

_Damn it,_ you thought. _Why am I nervous about this? This isn’t the first time I’ll be sleeping next to a man._

You sighed deeply and busied yourself with brushing your hair. When he came out of the bathroom, you felt heat rise to your cheeks. How where you supposed to sleep when he was shirtless? He was tempting you, wasn’t he? You walked into the bathroom and turned around to close the door, not before checking out his ass. The loose sweatpants he was wearing hung low on his hips. And those arms...

Your scowled and turned on the shower. 

“Bastard...” you muttered. You made sure the door was locked, before you stepped into the shower.

A full fifteen minutes later, you stepped out of the bathroom in your silk nightgown. Trowa was already lying in bed. On the left side. His arms where folded behind his head, the sheet rested low on his hips. He turned his head towards you.

“I thought I was going to sleep on the left side,” you said with a slight quirk of your lips.

He smirked. “I was here first.”

You shot him a scowl and walked to the right side of the bed. You pulled back the sheets and got in bed. You turned over, so you could look at him. He looked back at you from the corner of his eyes. You smiled a little.

“Most of your missions aren’t like this, are they?” you asked.

He shook his head. 

You sighed. The bed seemed smaller than you thought. When you shifted a bit, your leg brushed against his. You blushed and turned your back towards him. “Goodnight.”

Trowa swallowed. _Oh man..._ he could smell the scent of your shampoo. He wanted to kiss you, touch you... since when had he become a lust driven creature?

He had bedded a few women in the past few years. Sure, he had enjoyed the sex, but he had never really craved any of them. But you... He bit his lip and glanced at your back. This was insane. 

He turned his back to you and sighed. You were his partner. He couldn’t. He closed his eyes and gripped his pillow. He heard you shift. Your breathing was regular. You were asleep. Good...

-x-x-x-

The next morning, you spent some time exploring the resort, which resulted in a run in with your suspect. You were pleased when he seemed to study you for a while, knowing that he had to if you wanted to catch him. Afterwards, you ventured towards the beach, settling down on your towel with a content sigh. No matter the fact that you were on a mission, you enjoyed yourself.

You turned over on your stomach, propping your weight up on your elbows. Trowa lay beside you on his back. You gazed at him in silence for a while. He had thrown one arm over his eyes in a careless manner. The other rested at his side. The black swim shorts he wore were low on his hips, making your imagination want to play. Your eyes traveled from his hips, over his abdomen to his chest. Once there, you forced yourself to avert your eyes.

When you glanced at his face, you saw he was looking at you. You blushed. Had he seen you looking? His eyes gleamed with amusement. Yep. Your blush deepened and his lips twitched a bit. From the corner of your eyes, you saw someone familiar strolling along the boulevard. You turned your head and discovered it was your suspect. There was another man with him, and they appeared to be deep in conversation.

You shot Trowa a warning glance, who immediately rolled over onto his stomach and rested his hand on your back. Your eyes widened and your nerves jumped to attention at the contact. It got worse when he rested his chin on your shoulder.

“You could at least relax a bit,” he murmured teasingly. “I don’t bite.”

You couldn’t ignore the husky undertone in his voice and slowly turned your head towards him. You stared into those intense green eyes with a growing longing. 

“I am relaxed,” you whispered.

“Really?” His breath caressed the skin of your neck and you shivered.

Why was he having this effect on you?

You could feel his breath on your cheek, indicating he had moved closer. His eyes burned into yours and when he moved, you realized he wasn’t going to pull back this time. His lips touched the corner of your mouth. You turned your head a bit more when he pulled back slightly. He moved forward again, this time kissing you fully on the lips.

Your eyes drifted shut in bliss. He gently nipped your bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth. He sucked on it, before outlining the shape with his tongue. You kissed him back, parting your lips to give him access, a shiver racking your body as he deepened the kiss. His fingers caressed over your back, tracing the curve of your spine in a teasing manner that made you moan softly. The kiss became more urgent, and you shifted closer to him.

Trowa found that he couldn’t think straight anymore. In the airplane he had decided he needed to stay away from you, but the reasons where swept away by burning desire and need. He had never felt this, this yearning. It was completely new to him, even though he knew lust. You broke the kiss with a gasp. 

Jeez... where had he learnt to kiss like that?

Trowa threw a cautious glance at your suspect and found the man looking at you. When he turned his attention back to you, he nearly gave in again. Your eyes were glazed with passion. You where struggling with yourself, trying to control your breathing. His fingers still caressed your spine. Your eyes widened when he moved to kiss your neck.

“Stop,” you gasped.

He did stop his ministrations, but his hand remained on your back, spreading warmth across your skin. Damn it... _Tonight is going to be Hell,_ you thought. You closed your eyes and sighed. This was going a bit too far for an act. You had thought of a few pecks on his cheek, not these kinds of kisses. Kisses that lacked any innocence. This was lust, pure and unadulterated, and you couldn’t stop your body’s violent reaction to it.

Trowa felt kind of guilty. He could sense your discomfort, but if he pulled back now your suspect would notice something. He moved closer again, so he could whisper in your ear. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Let’s go swimming,” you said while getting up, ignoring his apology.

Trowa followed you into the water. You swam far enough so that you could talk to him, without anyone on the beach being able to overhear your conversation. Did he really have to explain himself to you? He didn’t want to. But then he remembered the way you had tensed up when he had kissed your neck. 

He felt something hot wash over his body when he thought about the feeling of your soft skin against his lips. And you had smelled so good. Like flowers.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. You stopped swimming.

“I think this is going a bit far for an act,” you said calmly.

Trowa sighed. What should he say? “I am sorry.”

“You already said you were sorry,” you muttered.

Were your getting angry at him? He gave you a scrutinizing look. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

There, that made you relax a bit. You leaned back into the water, wetting your hair in the process. You floated on your back for a while, while thinking of what to say to him. You suddenly let out a laugh. 

“Well, he will believe us now, right?”

He chuckled. “I’m sure he will. Let’s get back; I’ll buy you a sorbet.”

You tilted up your head and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

He nodded.

You smirked. “It better be a big one.”

The rest of the day was relatively quiet. He made sure to touch you only when it was necessary. Still, you held hands and managed to sneak in a conversation about the war next to your suspect, when you sat down at the bar in the hotel lounge after dinner. The man was around forty, tall, and had dark hair and brown eyes. He seemed to keep an eye on you, but you both acted like you didn’t notice that. 

You did, however, make sure to greet him politely when he passed by, giving him a small smile as he looked at you. Trowa gave you a small smirk.

“You got his attention,” he said quietly.

“I think so too.” You gave him a grin.

Now, all you could do was hope he would take the bait soon. Figuratively speaking of course. You had no desire to become this man’s next victim. 

-x-x-x-

The next morning, you woke up slowly, feeling relaxed and warm... You opened one eye and nearly squeaked when you saw a broad and bronzed chest. How had you end up in Trowa’s arms? Wait... He was guy with very good senses. If he woke up now... he would notice something **very** different about his side of the bed.

You moved quickly. You started to roll to your side of the bed. Apparently, you had moved too quickly as you suddenly slipped and fell off the bed in a tangle of sheets. You yelped when you landed on your butt.

“Ow...”

Trowa’s head appeared above you. “What happened?”

You blushed. “N-nothing...” you said.

His visible eyebrow rose. He propped himself up on his elbows as he watched you. This all amused him. You could see it in those eyes of his. You scowled. At least, he didn’t know why you had fallen out of bed. You sat up. You didn’t notice the strap of your nightgown sliding off your shoulder. Trowa reached out and pushed it back.

You bit your lip as you gazed up at him. You were very aware of the fact that his fingers lingered on your skin. He was staring at you with an intent look in his eyes. His hand left your shoulder and slid up to your neck. He pulled you towards him and pressed his lips against yours. You didn’t resist and responded eagerly, all thoughts of the mission and how doing this would affect it disappearing. Mouths opened, tongues invaded, touched. You broke the kiss and got up, quickly moving onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around you and rolled you onto your back, his mouth meeting yours in another deep kiss. His fingers pulled a strap of your nightgown down and he moved to kiss your shoulder.

You... you needed to touch him. Your hands slid down his back and back up to touch his shoulders, arms, and chest. You could feel his muscles underneath his skin, strong, and hard as steel.

“We shouldn’t do this...” he murmured between kisses. 

But even as he spoke, his hands slid down your hips, grabbing hold of your nightgown. He began to tug it up. You didn’t answer, just raised your hips a bit to help him remove the nightgown. He placed kisses on your belly, still pushing up silk.

You were brought back to reality with a shock when your cell phone rang. He sat up.

“I...” You swallowed. “I have to answer it.”

He nodded. You got up and grabbed your cell phone from the nightstand. You walked into the bathroom, while picking up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Baby, is it a bad time?”

“Roy...” you growled. You really didn’t want to talk to your ex-boyfriend. And you were really angry with him for calling, while you... You flushed at the thought of what Trowa and you had been doing. What you almost had done...

“What do you want?” you asked.

“I was wondering if we could meet somewhere. I miss you.”

“We can’t meet. I’m not at home.”

“Really. Where are you?”

“None of your business. And besides, I am still angry with you and I certainly don’t want you back.”

You heard a sigh at the other end of the line.

“Bye.” You hung up and leaned heavily against the wall. You ran a hand through your hair. 

Why had that bastard called you? The last time you had spoken to him, had been a year and a half ago, when you had left for the academy. You took a deep breath, before walking back inside the bedroom. Trowa was pulling a pair of swimming trunks out of his suitcase.

You cleared your throat. He turned around and gave you an expectant look. You sighed, forcing your thoughts away from what had happened earlier and back to the mission.

“Uhm.. Shall we go to a nearby town today? If the he follows us, we’re sure that he is interested,” you said.

“Sure.”

No word was said about the encounter, and after breakfast you walked to a town nearby the hotel. You were silent all the while, not knowing what to say. Until he grabbed your hand. 

“Is he following us?” you asked him quietly.

“Hmm... Other side of the road,” he muttered.

You nodded, signaling him that you had understood.

“There are two men with him,” he said.

“I see.” You thought quickly. “Let’s go and get a drink at that bar. Maybe he will follow us.”

You pointed up ahead, towards a cozy looking establishment with a patio. Trowa nodded and let you towards it, his hand landing on the small of your back as the waiter came towards you. It was a protective gesture that put you at ease. You were brought to a table and sat down, while ordering a soda. Trowa sat down opposite you, and it didn’t surprise you when your suspect and the two other men sat down at a different table on the patio as well. 

They were definitely following you. You gave the two other men a fleeting glance, before leaning back in your chair with a small smile. 

“Say, why don’t we have dinner at the beach tonight?” you asked Trowa, picking up your role as ‘the girlfriend’ again.

“That would be nice.” 

The waiter came to bring your drinks, and you sipped the cool soda with an appreciative sigh. “I think this is already quite nice.”

You reached across the table for his hand and gave him a small smile. A tremor ran down your spine when he entwined his fingers with yours. You were acutely reminded of what had happened earlier that morning. You swallowed thickly and tore your gaze away from his to look around. 

This, you decided, was getting worse by the minute.

You could handle the mission. But your attraction to Trowa was getting out of control. Didn’t what had happened that morning prove that? But you couldn’t walk away now. This would have been so much easier if he hadn’t been so goddamn good looking. You would just have to keep going. Especially now, when your suspect was close by and watching you.

You sipped your soda and forced your shoulders to relax. You were going to finish this mission successfully. And after that, you would stay the hell away from Trowa for a while.

-x-x-x-

In the five days that followed, your suspect followed you more and more. Trowa contacted Duo and Heero to tell them to stay alert. You had managed to take a picture of your suspect and the two men that were with him, and Heero had discovered that they were all part of the same organization. You got more uncomfortable with each passing day. You knew that if the suspect was gathering people from this human trafficking ring around him, he had to have some sort of plan. And that involved you. 

Right now, you were pacing up and down the hotel room anxiously. Outside, it was raining and you had no choice but to stay inside. Trowa was sitting on the bed, trying to watch TV, but not really succeeding with you pacing in front of it.

“I don’t get it. Why does he wait so long?” you asked.

“Because we don’t separate,” he said calmly. “By now, they should know that I was a soldier in the war. They will have done a research on the name I gave them when checking in. They will wait until they can catch you alone.”

You stopped pacing and ran a hand through your hair.

“We have to change the plan,” you said, before starting to pace again. _And I want you to kiss me._

He hadn’t kissed you the last few days. He hadn’t even touched you, only when it was absolutely necessary. And it was frustrating. It was like he was fighting his desire. He was fighting you.

You sighed again.

“Sit down,” he suddenly said, while giving you a sharp look.

“Shut up.” You sneered.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. You kept pacing, now with a scowl on your face. Why were you so angry? He turned off the television. It was time for a conversation. Or more like a confrontation, by the looks of it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

He moved quickly, grabbing your wrist and pulling you towards him. 

“What’s wrong?” he repeated.

You sighed, obviously annoyed. “Nothing.”

“Really?” He grabbed your arms and threw you onto the bed with complete ease. You yelped in surprise. He smirked slightly. 

“Now, you’ll tell me what is wrong,” he said, while holding you down by your arms.

You glared at him and started struggling. “Get off of me.”

“I’m not **on** you,” he stated.

You blushed, but continued to struggle.

You managed to get one arm free and placed your hand against his chest. You pushed him away from you and tried to roll away. He grabbed your arms again and pulled you on top of him.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

He rolled over and pushed his lips against your throat. A moan escaped you at the unexpected contact. His hands slid under your top, causing you to shudder. His lips skimmed up to your ear. 

“Your cell phone is off, right?” he asked huskily.

“Yes...” you hissed. Your hands caressed his arms, closing around his biceps.

“Good.” His mouth landed on yours. 

You kissed him back, one hand rising to caress the back of his neck. He shuddered, causing you to grin. You weren’t the only one who wasn’t in control. Your fingers ran through his hair as he deepened the kiss, and you sighed with longing.

You brought your hands down and tugged at his shirt, indicating that you wanted it gone. He sat up and quickly pulled his shirt off. The shirt being pulled off had moved his long bangs away from his face, revealing two green eyes, staring intently back at you. You met his gaze head on, reading the desire in those eyes and knowing it was mirrored in your own gaze.

You smiled and reached out to touch his now bare chest. You sat up and moved to kiss his neck. His skin was warm and soft, the taste distracting. Trowa wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer. You moaned when you realized that he was aroused. _Oh God_ … You reluctantly removed your mouth from his neck when he pulled up your top and let him pull it off. He tossed it on the ground and captured your lips once more. He kissed you deeply, dizzying you with sensations and increasing your need for him. His hands caressed your back, playing with the clasp of your bra.

He broke away from the kiss and hissed when your fingers found a taut nipple. You nipped at his earlobe and pushed him onto his back, needing a bit of control over the situation. His hands came to rest on your hips as you ground your lower body down onto his. His fingers grabbed the waistband of your pants. He closed his eyes and trusted his head to the side and his breathing became irregular, hurried. You lowered your body onto his and pressed your mouth against his shoulder. Your hands caressed his abs and dipped into the waistband of his jeans. You undid the button and lowered the zipper.

He reacted quickly, rolling over so you where underneath him again. His hands reached around your back. He unclasped your bra and threw it onto the ground.

Your senses went on overdrive when he took a nipple into his mouth, sucking it into a taut peak. You arched your back and moaned. “Trowa...”

Trowa let go of your nipple and pressed his lips against yours again. He nudged your legs apart with his knee and settled between your thighs.

Your hands found the waistband of his jeans once again, and pushed them over his hips.

“I want you,” he murmured huskily against your lips, causing you to shiver.

You met his gaze and gave him a small smirk. “Then take me.”

He moved, unfastened your shorts, and pulled them off. Then, he removed his jeans, along with his boxers. You gazed up at him and raised your hands to press against his chest. His skin was warm to the touch, and you couldn’t stop yourself from exploring. Your hands trailed down his chest to his abs, lower. He groaned when you closed your hand around his impressive erection. 

Shit, if you kept going like that, he wouldn’t hold out for long.

“Stop,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. 

He grabbed your hand to stop you and pushed it against the mattress beside your head. You pulled him closer with your free arm and kissed him. An impatient sound escaped him as his thumps hooked in the waist band of your panties. He pulled them off, teasingly slow, and settled between your legs once more. 

You broke the kiss and moaned when he slipped inside of you. Trowa clenched his teeth, fighting for control as your moist heat enveloped him. Your hands gripped his shoulders and you arched your back.

“Move...” you whispered desperately.

You had trouble breathing. The feeling of him inside you had you teetering on the edge almost instantly, and even though you wanted this to last, you wanted, needed, him to move. 

He pulled back his hips, slowly withdrawing from your body, before sliding back in. You gasped and threw back your head, your hips rising to meet his trusts as he set a rhythm that was maddeningly slow. You wrapped your arms around his neck and arched up to kiss him. Your mouth met his in a deep kiss that stole your breath away. You gasped as he grabbed your legs, raising them to wrap around his waist. You nails dug into the skin of his shoulders as the new angle enabled him to trust deeper inside of you. 

His hands gripped your hips tightly. A moan of protest escaped you when he broke the kiss. Your chest heaved up and down from your ragged breathing and you could feel your orgasm building rapidly. You tensed up when you reached your peak, your eyes sliding shut as waves of ecstasy crashed down on you. You curled up around him, your nails scratching his back as you muffled your cry of rapture against his shoulder. 

Impossible tightness gripped him and stripped him of his last control. He threw back his head and groaned, spilling into you with a rush of heath. He collapsed on top of you and rested his head against your shoulder. You held him and ran a hand through his hair. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal.

He lifted his head and gazed into your eyes. Your lips met his in a tender kiss. He pulled himself up and collapsed down beside you, on his side, his arm wrapping around your waist to pull you against him, your back against his chest. You entwined your fingers with his and drifted off, a smile on your lips.

-x-x-x-

You woke up from the annoying beeping of Trowa’s laptop. You groaned and turned around. Trowa lay on his side beside you, his arm still wrapped around you waist. You reached out and shook his shoulder.

He stirred and opened his eyes. “What?”

“Your laptop.” You snuggled back into the covers and closed your eyes again. 

Trowa sat up and reached out towards his laptop, which was standing on the nightstand. He turned it off and looked back at you.

“I’m hungry,” you whined.

“Aah...”

You opened your eyes. “I’m going to buy something to eat.” 

You sat up slowly and kept the sheet pressed against your upper body. You ran a hand through your hair. It was sleep tousled and tangled, and you scowled as your fingers got caught.

He moved towards you and kissed you. You placed a hand on his cheek and kissed back, sighing as he drew away.

“I’m going to take a shower,” you said. 

He nodded. You got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. After you had taken a shower, you walked back into the bedroom and found Trowa sitting in a chair by the window. He had put on his jeans and was staring outside.

“Trowa?”

“Hn?” He turned his head towards you.

You smiled. “I’m heading out to the village to buy something. Should I bring something for you?”

He shook his head. “No, thanks.”

“Alright,” you grabbed your wallet. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded and turned away from you. You frowned. Why was he so cold? You sighed and left the room, shaking off the insecure feeling that took hold of you. He had kissed you when you had woken up, so you shouldn’t worry too much and give him some time to think.

Trowa sighed. He knew he shouldn’t have slept with you. If Une found out, she surely would fire him. He felt a headache coming up and rubbed his temples. He had to stay away from you and that was easier said than done... Hadn’t what had just happened proven that?

He continued to sit by the window for some time. Suddenly, he jumped up. 

_Shit, shit, shit!_ He had let you go to the village. **Alone!**

He quickly grabbed his shirt and put it on. He ran out of the hotel room. He hoped he wasn’t too late...

You walked out of the shop, a bag containing cookies, a bag of chips, and a bottle of soda in your hand. You had been lucky. You had totally forgotten about the siesta time, but this small super market was still open. You set direction for the hotel again, enjoying the coolness in the air that the rain had left. It had dried up during the time you had been asleep, and it seemed as if the nature around you had awakened. You took a deep breath and smiled. 

The smile left your face, however, as you got the distinct feeling that you were being followed. You cursed yourself for forgetting to bring your gun with you. You looked behind you. Nothing... You shook your head and continued to walk towards the hotel.

Trowa ran through the hallways and into the hotel lobby. He looked around. You weren’t there yet. He ran outside and set course for the village, knowing you had to be out there somewhere.

Suddenly you heard a sound behind you. _Oh God!_

You walked faster, you had to get back to the hotel! The village was deserted and none was out on the streets. You heard footsteps behind you, causing you to break out in a run. Fuck, you had gone out alone. You had separated yourself from Trowa, making yourself an easy target. You knew how to defend yourself, but you preferred to get back to the vicinity of the hotel first. There were people out on the boulevard that ran along the beach, so your suspect was unlikely to make a move there. You hoped so at least.

You looked behind you, and found your suspect chasing you, a dangerous look in his eyes. Despite your training, you felt fear squeeze around your heart. A frightened shriek escaped you, and you pushed yourself to run faster. Damn it, why was this street so fucking long?!?

Trowa heard a shriek in the distance, as he turned into the street that led to the village. _Shit! No!_

You screamed when you felt a hand grab your arm. Your suspect had caught up with you. You where pulled to a stop. 

“TROWA!!” you cried desperately, hoping that he was somewhere out there. 

“He won’t hear you,” your suspect whispered in your ear, his tone malicious. He pushed a cloth against your nose and mouth.

_Oh God! This ain’t happening to me!_ you thought.

You struggled wildly, trying to escape his hold, but the man was strong. You tried to hold your breath, but the world seemed to spin around you. You were dragged into an alley. The need to breathe came and you gasped into the cloth. You got dizzy. _Trowa..._

Close by, you heard a gate open. Your suspect dragged you onto a courtyard. Through the haze in your vision, you could detect a big villa, but you felt so weak you could barely focus anymore. You heard voices, men speaking quietly. You were pulled into the house. You felt tears gather in your eyes as you fought to remain conscious. Trowa, he had to know where you were. He had to know. You had to let him know. But all too soon, darkness claimed you, and you were left at the mercy of your suspects.

Trowa had heard you scream his name in the distance. Now the streets of the village were dead silent. He was too late. He stopped running and leaned against the wall that lined the street, taking deep breaths to calm down. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, and he couldn’t think clearly. 

“Damn it!” he growled and slammed his fist against the wall.

He started to walk back to the hotel. He had to contact Duo and Heero. You could be anywhere in this village, and it was better to have his comrades with him if he was going to attempt a rescue. This mission had gone disastrously wrong...

-x-x-x-

“Are you sure they have her?” Duo asked.

Trowa glared at him. “Yes!”

Duo sighed. “We have to find out where they have taken her.”

“This is all my fault,” Trowa muttered.

“It’s not. We will find her.” Duo said, while patting him on the shoulder. “Hey, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said, before sighing deeply. 

He, Duo, and Heero, had met up at the hotel that Duo and Heero were staying at, to avoid suspicion. Heero was seated at the table on the balcony, furiously typing away behind his computer, while Duo and Trowa leaned against the balcony railing. 

“Alright,” Heero announced. “I have logged in with the account I made a few weeks ago. It will be a matter of time before they will put her up for sale.”

“You don’t have to say it so bluntly.” Duo said.

“How soon?” Trowa asked.

Heero shrugged. “It’s usually just a couple of days after the kidnapping, judging by their earlier transactions. The sooner they ship these women off somewhere, the better it is for them to keep hidden.” 

“What are we gonna do?” Duo asked.

“We are going to buy her,” Heero said.

“And when they want to trade her for the money, we get them,” Trowa realized.

“Exactly,” Heero said.

“Do you think that will work?” Duo questioned, a thoughtful look on his face. 

“I’ve made sure that the profile I made links to a seemingly trustworthy background,” Heero said. “They have no reason to suspect it.”

Duo rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Let’s hope they are that stupid...”

-x-x-x-

You awoke with a terrible headache. You blinked groggily, trying to remember what had happened. It came to you slowly, waking up next to Trowa, the trip to the village, the kidnapping. You took a deep breath and forced yourself to remain calm. There was no use in panicking. You slowly sat up. You were lying on a cold stone floor, and your body was stiff and sore. 

“Ow...” you moaned and grabbed your head, as a sharp stab of pain shot through it.

Darn it. What kind of drugs had they used? How long had you been unconscious? Did Trowa know?

“Don’t move,” a soft voice said.

You squeezed your eyes closed and waited until the pain in your head subsided to a dull throbbing, before speaking. “Where am I?”

“In a holding cell,” the voice, clearly female, said. “They brought you in a few hours ago.”

You grunted. You slowly opened your eyes and looked around. The cell was dimly lit and small. There wasn’t even a bunk or a bed in it. A young woman with long, blond curls was sitting beside you.

“Are you alright?” she asked you.

“Apart from a splitting headache... Yeah, I’m fine.” You scooted back over the floor to lean against the wall. “How long have you been here?”

“A few days,” she said quietly. “I don’t remember how many, since there is no light to indicate whether it’s day or night.”

“I see.”

“My name is Middie, by the way.”

“-Y/N-,” you introduced yourself. “Rookie Preventer on a first mission. I’d say it kinda failed, but my partner is probably looking for me.”

A small smile graced Middie’s features. “Hopefully, he will find us soon.”

“Do you know if there are other women in this building?”

Middie shook her head. “No. You’re only allowed out of the cell to use the bathroom, and I haven’t seen or hear anyone.”

“Who is your war relative?” you asked her.

“Huh?”

“That’s why they brought you here. You know somebody from the war, right?” 

“I wasn’t involved in the war. But yes, I knew a boy before it happened. He was a soldier,” Middie said. “I haven’t seen him since, but maybe he’s the reason I’m here now. Do you have any idea what they’re gonna do to us?”

You contemplated telling her, but you didn’t want to scare her, so you decided on only half the truth. “We were investigating them. They kidnap women that are related to people who were involved in the war. They will demand a ransom.”

“And if it isn’t paid?”

Shoot. She caught on quickly.

“Then the women get sold,” you admitted. So much for leaving her in the dark. 

You watched her pale in the dim light, but she held herself together in a way that you admired. “Are we kidnapped by a human trafficking network?”

You nodded. “Yes, but my partner is probably already looking for me. We were supposed to act as a couple and lure them out. I’d say we were quite convincing.”

Despite the situation, Middie chuckled.

“They’ll come to save us. Trowa will come.” You pulled your knees up to your chest and rested your aching head against them. “He’ll come...”

-x-x-x-

“The idiots!” Duo shouted, while gazing at the laptop screen intently. “She’s for sale!”

Trowa was at his side in an instant. The suspect hadn’t contacted him for a ransom, and the waiting was driving him insane. “Bring out an offer.”

Duo nodded. “I will, but I think we should wait for five minutes. See what others offer for her. In that way they won’t get suspicious.”

Heero nodded. “Let’s do that. He is right, for once.”

Duo smirked. “Duh.”

Trowa sank into a chair and sighed. He hadn’t been able to save you yet, but he was relieved to know that you were alive.

“It was stupid of me to let her go alone,” he said quietly.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll find her,” Duo assured him. “You should stop blaming yourself. She didn’t take her gun with her and she obviously didn’t think about the possible consequences.”

No, because you had probably too caught up in what had happened between him and you. Trowa felt stupid and unprofessional. He had never thought he would go so far to sleep with his partner. And why actually? Did he feel anything for you, beyond the attraction? He wasn’t sure and even less sure if he wanted to find out. It was probably best to forget about the encounter and move on. 

Une would have his head if she ever found out.

“Let’s offer some money for her,” Trowa muttered.

Duo nodded. “Several offers have been made already. The biggest offer yet was five thousand euros.”

“Let’s make it ten thousand,” Heero said.

Duo started typing. After a while, the laptop beeped. “Haha! They accepted it. They want to trade her the day after tomorrow.”

“Try for the evening,” Trowa said, while getting up. He started to pace up and down the room that Duo and Heero stayed in.

Duo typed again. “They say it’s alright.”

Trowa sighed. _Two days. Please be strong._

-x-x-x-

You stumbled as you were roughly pushed back in the cell by one of your suspect’s goons. The man leered at you, before slamming the door shut. You awkwardly rubbed at the make-up on your face. You normally didn’t wear much, but you had been forced to apply more than usual. The barrel of a gun against your head had done the talking when you had told your suspect to go to hell.

The past two hours had been damn uncomfortable. You had been dragged out of the cell, and taken up to flights of stairs. There, you had been pushed into a bathroom. They had told you to shower, which you had done, because the cold floor of the cell had attacked your muscles. After your shower, you had been given a skimpy dress to wear. You hadn’t liked the look your suspect had sent you when you had stepped out of the bathroom.

You had been forced to do your hair and make-up, and then you had been told to pose for some pictures. You assumed that they were preparing to auction you off to the highest bidder, and you had at least cooperated to some extent. You knew that Heero was monitoring the auctions to keep track of where the women were shipped off to, and that he would try to bid on you, once your auction started. You hoped the guys would be able to save you soon.

Once the pictures were taken, you were told to change back into your own clothes in the bathroom again, and then you were taken back to the cell. 

“What did they want from you?” Middie asked you when the door fell shut behind you.

You clearly remembered the panic in her eyes when they had taken you away. She had been afraid that you would be shipped off to some other place, or worse. You sat down next to her.

“They wanted me to pose for pictures,” you told her. “I think they might start an auction for me soon.”

Middie swallowed. “Shit. They’re moving a lot faster with you than with me.”

“Chances are that the guys will take action soon now.” You leaned your head back against the wall and sighed. _Damn it, Barton! What’s taking you so long?_

You didn’t know how long you had been in the cell. The hours dragged by and you spent your time sleeping and talking to Middie. And thinking about Trowa. You hadn’t realized, until now, that you had fallen for him. You were in love with him... Totally, in over your head, irrevocably in love with him.

You were in love with your partner! Une would fry you if she found out. You knew the rules and regulations pertaining relationships between Preventers. And getting ‘distracted’ on missions had some repercussions. But you couldn’t help yourself, or the feelings that you harbored for your tall, mysterious partner.

_Trowa, please come soon..._

“Hey, are you alright?” Middie asked.

“Yes,” you whispered.

“Are you afraid he might not come?”

“He will come.”

Middie smiled. “When I get out of here, I am going to search for my war relative, I think.”

“You are?”

She gave a little shrug. “I have no leads, no name, but I’m gonna try.”

“No name?”

She chuckled. “He didn’t have one. Everyone just called him ‘No name’.”

“Aw… that’s so sad.”

“I guess he wasn’t really bothered by it. We have some unresolved issues that I need to apologize for.” Her eyes got a distant look as she remembered. “I carried the guilt of my mistakes with me for thirteen years.”

You blinked at her. “Thirteen years?”

“Yeah, I was ten years old at the time.” She gave a little smile. “I guess it was just puppy love or something. I don’t even know what he felt for me, but we were close.”

She sighed. “So, tell me about this partner of yours.”

You hesitated. “I don’t know what to tell.”

“Is he a good partner?”

“In a way, he is more my mentor. I’ve just come from the academy and you always get teamed up with an experienced partner first,” you explained. “But I guess he does see me as his equal. In the beginning he didn’t though.”

“Oh?”

A small smile spread on your face. “In the gym he was always too careful with me. Until I yelled at him.” 

Middie chuckled. “Men.”

“You can say that.” You grinned back at her. “After that, he changed. He thought I was ready for a mission, so we got ourselves one.”

“And now you’re here.”

“It was my own fault,” you said, a little ashamed of your own stupidity. “I wandered off alone and I forgot to bring my gun. I made myself an easy victim.”

The cell fell silent after that. Middie shifted and lay down on her side.

“I’m gonna try and get some sleep,” she said quietly.

You nodded. You were tired, but your mind was too restless for you to sleep. It would take a lot of time for you to fall asleep.

-x-x-x-

Trowa tried to sleep, but was failing miserably. He couldn’t seem to get your screaming out of his head. It was stupid. He got up from the couch and walked toward the doors that led to the balcony. After your kidnapping, he had moved to Duo’s and Heero’s hotel. It was easier, and he didn’t want to be around his suspect any longer. He might kill the man and then it would probably take a long time before he found you. He did make sure he was seen around the hotel regularly, playing the worried boyfriend. He made sure to ask people if they had seen you to keep up the facade. 

He sighed and stepped outside. Duo was sitting in one of the chairs, staring at the sky. 

“Hey,” the braided man greeted him quietly.

“Hey.” He sank in the other chair and sighed. 

“This waiting is gonna drive me nuts,” Duo said, while popping his feet up on the balcony’s railing. “But we can get her back tomorrow.”

“Hn.”

“Trowa?”

“Yes?”

“Did something happen between you and –Y/N-?”

Damn Duo for being so perceptive. 

“No, why are you asking?” The lie tasted like acid on his tongue. He hated lying to his friends, but he had no choice in this matter. 

“You seem more wound up than usual,” Duo said with a shrug.

“She’s a rookie and assigned to me,” Trowa said. “Of course I’m worried about her.”

Duo seemed to buy the excuse and sighed. “She’ll be alright, you know.”

“We can only hope so.”

“Too bad we can’t blast that bastard’s brain out.” Duo gave him a wry grin. 

A small smirk titled his lips. “Hn.”

He had just one more day to go through. And then he was going to go back home and get his shit straight. And he would make sure to stay away from you…

**\- End part 2 -**


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On to part 3! I hope you will enjoy this part! It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, haha! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing, its characters, or you.

**Now and Forever  
Part 3**

_Costa Brava, Spain, AC 203_

Trowa was pacing up and down the hotel room, his normal calm demeanor gone. He was tense and agitated with the trade approaching. He had a few more hours left. Heero had told him to try and catch some sleep, but he hadn’t been able to rest. It was odd, he thought bitterly, that years ago during the war he had been completely focused on his missions without feeling like this. But this was different. It was peace time, he was a Preventer, and he had a responsibility. He had failed to protect you on your first mission. 

He should never have crossed the line in the first place. It had gotten him into this mess. He knew that Duo suspected something had happened, but he hadn’t pushed Trowa to talk about it and for that he was glad. He wasn’t quite ready to figure out what the hell had made him act so in such an unprofessional manner. 

Duo and Heero had gone to a local Preventer station to round up a team of Preventers to assist them, leaving Trowa alone with his thoughts. He sighed and turned towards the laptop that stood open on the table. So far, the organization hadn’t contacted them about the place of the trade but he was fairly certain that they would contact them soon. He only hoped that you would be okay. 

He plopped down on the couch and leaned back, resting his head against the arm rest. He stared up at the ceiling. Commander Une had been informed of the situation and although Trowa had left out the events that had led up to your kidnapping, he knew she wasn’t happy with him. He had seen the look in her eyes on the VID phone screen. He didn’t doubt that this mission would hold some repercussions for him when he got back. He gritted his teeth. He would endure it, he decided. And then everything would go back to normal. 

The laptop beeped, indicating that a new message had arrived, and Trowa was on his feet the next instant. He swiftly walked over to the table and opened the message. He scanned the contents, and bit back a sigh of disappointment when he noticed that the meeting place was a remote location in the mountains. The door behind him opened and he turned to see Duo and Heero enter the room.

“We got a location,” he said.

“Where?” Heero asked while walking over to read the message.

“Remote place.”

“Shit.” Duo scowled. “I’d hoped they would give us a location in the village.”

“Apparently they’re not that stupid,” Heero commented. “Maybe I can dig up something on the email address.”

He sat down at the table and went to work. Trowa walked over to the window and gazed outside. The hotel he was currently staying at was located in the center of a small town, but he could see the sea in the distance. 

They had hoped that the organization would invite them to a location within the village where you disappeared. But Trowa had doubted from the start that it would happen. No criminal organization would invite anyone to the place they did their business from. But maybe Heero could trace the email address. They had studied the village the past few days. It was small, so they had been able to narrow down their investigation to five houses, but he didn’t want to make a move until he was absolutely certain.

He wouldn’t risk these men killing you. Or worse, shipping you off to another place. 

Heero turned around on his chair, a smug look on his face. “I’ve got something.”

“Is it one of the houses we have on watch?” Duo asked.

A curt nod was his answer. “The trade is supposed to happen at midnight. The drive from the village to the location takes about one hour, so we can ambush them at sundown.”

“You got a team ready?” Trowa asked.

Duo nodded. “I’ll make sure they get the info.”

“Good.” He turned his gaze back to the view outside.

_Just a few more hours…_

-x-x-x-

You looked up at the door as it opened, the familiar tall frame of one of the guards shielding your view from the rest of the basement. 

“You,” was all he said, while pointing his finger at you.

You swallowed and met Middie’s terrified gaze. Had you been auctioned off to someone? A tremor of unease ran down your spine. What if the guys hadn’t managed to make the highest bid? You reluctantly got up and approached the guard. He gave you an impatient look and grabbed your arm, pulling you out of the cell. You yelped at his rough handling and tried to get out of his grasp.

“Stop that,” he bit out while grasping a hand full of your hair.

You winced at the sharp sting and held still. 

“Much better.” He gave you a sickening smile, and pulled you along with him. 

You dragged your feet over the ground, attempting to slow him down but that got you a painful tug on your hair in return. The guard brought you up to the second floor of the house, where your main suspect was waiting for you, along with a woman you had never seen before.

He was standing next to a chair, and mentioned the guard to bring you over. He pushed you into the chair. You glared at him and tried once more to struggle out of his grasp. 

“Hold still, Missy.” You heard the safety being unlocked on a gun and you froze. Your suspect gave you a cold look as he gazed down the barrel at you. “You better behave.”

“Go to hell,” you spat.

The guard backhanded you, the slap against your cheek so fast and sudden that you didn’t have time to dodge. You clenched your jaw as pain exploded along your face. You suspect grabbed the guard’s wrist and pulled him away from you.

“Idiot. We don’t want her to have bruises!” he snapped.

You glared at them through your bangs, and tried to pull back as your suspect roughly grabbed your chin to inspect the forming bruise on your cheek. 

“You better make sure that you cover that up,” he told the woman. He turned back to the guard. “Bind her to that chair.”

The guard moved forward again and tied your hands behind your back with a piece of rope. You didn’t want to risk another bruise so you cooperated. The woman came forward and regarded you with a cool look in her pale grey eyes. Everything in her posture told you that she played a willing part in this organization and you threw her a disgusted look. Her lips turned up in an unpleasant smile. 

“No worries, sir,” she told your suspect. “You won’t see a thing once I’m done with her.”

“Good.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, before leaving the room.

The guard followed him, leaving you alone with the woman. She pulled a side table over to the chair and you watched as she went to work, stalling out cosmetics. She pulled her long blond hair up in a messy bun and then turned towards you. 

“Hold still,” she warned you.

“How can you be a part of this?” you asked her, venom dripping from every word. 

“Money talks,” she said with a cool smile.

“That so? Who says you won’t be the next one they ship off to God knows where?” you bit out.

She grabbed your chin and studied you, but the look in her eyes told you that your words had hit a mark. You smirked. She was scared. Good.

“You’re skin is good,” she told you. “You won’t need much.”

You glared at her.

“I’ll get some ice to keep that bruise from swelling.” She sauntered off and you sighed as you were left alone in the room.

The rope around your wrists was tight and as you tried to wiggle your arms a little, you could feel it biting into your skin. There was no use getting free, you thought miserably. You could only clamp down on your hope that the guys would be the ones to meet your suspect, and not someone else.

-x-x-x-

Trowa silently crept along the wall that was build around the villa, the voice in his earpiece telling him that the coast was clear. Heero guided him and Duo around the corner from his place on the roof of the house opposite the villa. The team of local Preventers was stationed around the villa, making sure that none could get in, or out. 

“Any movements inside?” Trowa questioned quietly.

“Negative,” came Heero’s voice through the ear piece.

“Roger that.” Trowa came to a halt and gazed up. 

They had decided that this place was the best to get over the wall. They had studied photos of the villa, and from here a large tree cut off the view from the house. None would be able to see them enter the grounds. 

“Ready?” Duo asked him.

“Yeah.” Trowa nodded. “Duo?”

“What?”

“Did you bring her gun?”

“Yep, like you asked.” Duo handled him the gun. “It’s loaded.”

Trowa pushed the gun in his spare holster while eyeing the wall, calculating the quickest way to climb it. 

“Let’s do this.” Duo said, while jumping up and grasping the wall’s edge. 

Trowa followed his example and hoisted himself up. As he steadied himself on top of the wall, his eyes quickly swept over the garden. The tree obscured his view of the house, but through its branches he could see two guards stationed by the door. He looked over his shoulder towards the house on the other side of the street. He couldn’t see Heero, but he knew that he was stationed there behind his sniper rifle. 

The plan was to enter the house through one of the side doors and that meant crossing the garden. Trowa hoped they could go unnoticed, but in case they didn’t Heero would be there to back them up. Duo lowered himself down into the garden, sticking to the shadows that the wall provided. Trowa waited until Duo had gotten out his gun, before carefully dropping down to the ground as well. The falling darkness provided them enough cover to move through the garden. Duo’s stealth skills came in handy as they made it to the side door. Trowa checked the garden as Duo went to work on opening the door.

“Heero, status?” Trowa questioned quietly.

“All clear.”

The door opened with a soft click, and Duo gave him a triumphant look. Trowa raised his gun. “We’re going in.”

“Roger.”

They crept into the building. It was surprisingly silent, and for a moment Trowa feared that they were too late. But then he heard footsteps on the first floor. The house was empty, a clear indication that the place was not used to live in. They passed an open door which gave way to an office, but there was none inside. Duo signaled him and Trowa gave him a nod in return. They had to go upstairs. Trowa recalled the blueprints they had studied of the house, and set course for what would be the living room. Duo followed him. They found the staircase and Duo quietly went up first. When he deemed the coast clear, he mentioned Trowa to follow him. As he arrived on the landing, he found a hallway that stretched out on both sides.

Duo signaled that he would go left, so Trowa prepared to split up and took the turn right. At the far end of the hallway, a door stood open. Light streamed into the hallway. He felt his heartbeat speed up as he approached the room, his gun at the ready. A feeling of relief flooded him when he caught sight of you, bound to a chair in the middle of the room. You were alive. His suspect stood opposite you, with his back towards the door. There was a woman next to him.

“Good work,” he heard him say. “She looks worth the money. Get her ready. It’s time to go.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Trowa said coolly, starling both the man and woman, as well as you.

The man was quick to react, whirling around, a gun in his hand, but the next moment the window behind him shattered and a bullet zoomed in, hitting him in his arm. The gun fell from his hand as he roared in pain. 

Trowa heard Heero shout orders to the Preventer team outside in his ear, but he paid no attention to it as he shot forward, kicking the injured man in his stomach. The woman screeched and tried to run for the door, but he floored her quickly. 

“Trowa!” you shouted in warning, and he saw the man make a dive for the gun on the floor.

He launched himself up, using his body to bring the man down. A struggle ensued as the man tried to get him off of him with his good arm, but Trowa used his injury to his advantage. He shackled his hand around the wound, effectively weakening the criminal. He quickly grabbed his handcuffs and slid them around the man’s wrists, restraining him. He got up and found that the woman had ran off. She wouldn’t be able to get far, he thought grimly. He left the man on the floor, who sputtered and struggled wildly. 

His gaze settled on you and you sighed in relief. He was here. 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

You nodded. “Yeah.”

He quickly went to untie your hands. You got up from the chair and threw your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “What took you so long?”

His arms slid around your waist and you could barely contain your tears as he held you.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized quietly. 

You pulled back to look at him. “I’m okay so it doesn’t really matter.”

You saw that he noticed the bruise, his eyes darkening with a dangerous glint and his hand came up to touch the tender flesh. 

“It’s nothing,” you told him quietly. The careful touch had you trembling, but you knew that right now wasn’t the moment to talk about the situation between you and him.

“I brought your gun,” he said, while taking it out of his spare holster.

You gave him a smile and accepted the familiar weight of it in your hands. “Let’s go get them.”

“Stay behind me. You don’t have a Kevlar vest,” Trowa said.

You nodded and followed him, only to discover the building had already been cleared effectively by the team of Preventers, and as you walked down the staircase you found Heero waiting in the hallway. 

“Building’s all clear,” he stated as you reached him. 

“Any other hostages?” Trowa asked. 

“Only one,” Heero said. “She’s outside.”

“What will happen to the suspects?” you asked him.

“They’ll be brought over to a local Preventer station for the time being,” Heero said. “They’ll be brought to Brussels in a few weeks as we round up the investigation.”

“Good.” You sighed in relief.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you gave Heero a small smile. 

Duo came walking into the hallway, with Middie trailing after him. She was quick to dash forward when she caught sight of you. “Thank God, you’re okay!”

She threw her arms around you and sobbed. You hugged her back. “We’re okay.”

“I was so scared when they took you away!” She pulled back to look at you and wiped her cheeks. The relief was clear in her eyes. She turned to look at the others and froze as her eyes landed on Trowa. “No Name?”

Trowa seemed to freeze and you realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that Middie’s _‘No Name’_ and Trowa were the same person. 

“Wait. You two know each other?” Duo asked.

Trowa nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Yeah.”

“I think you should check up on Catherine,” Heero said. “If they kidnap her and –Y/N-, they must have found out your true identity.”

You swallowed and turned around, making your way outside. In the cell Middie had told you about the feelings she used to have, and still harbored for this _‘No Name’._ She had told you that, if she found him, she would do everything to make him love her.

You clenched your fists. You wouldn’t stand a chance against her. Trowa’s aloofness towards you during the day you had disappeared proved that he probably wasn’t interested in you beyond a physical level. You bit your lips as you felt a lump form in your throat. You wanted to go home and forget about this mission. 

“-Y/N-, are you sure you are alright?” Duo asked as he came walking outside.

“I’m fine,” you murmured sadly. You turned around and looked at him.

Duo smiled at you. “Let’s take a walk.”

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “You know, Trowa was so worried about you he couldn’t sleep.”

You chuckled bitterly. “So?”

_It didn’t have to mean anything,_ you thought. He was your mentor, so of course he had been worried. But that didn’t mean he returned your feelings.

“Something happened between the two of you,” Duo stated.

You blushed, but didn’t answer him. 

“You want to talk about it?”

You shook your head. “No.”

“Listen, -Y/N-,” Duo pulled you to a halt and gave you a comforting smile. “Trowa is a stubborn asshole. But I know him and I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Duo, please,” you said softly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Are you in love with him?”

“W-what?” You stared at him with a growing feeling of horror. Were you that easy to read?

“Are you in love with him?” Duo repeated calmly.

“I-I... Maybe. I don’t know,” you lied. You weren’t ready to admit it to anyone yet. “But Middie...”

Duo rested a hand on your shoulder. “Come on. You can do better than that.”

You only sighed. “I want to go home...”

-x-x-x-

Three weeks later, you had yet to talk to Trowa about what had happened on the mission. You felt utterly miserable, but he seemed to be happy. Rumors about him dating a blonde woman were floating around the office, adding to your misery. You had thrown yourself at your work in the first two weeks, willing yourself to forget about the kidnapping. But it showed every damn day on your face. The bruise had become large and was apparent on your features. You did your best to cover it with foundation, but it didn’t really help. Now it had faded to a yellowish green, but it still felt tender.

Duo tried to keep you distracted as much as he could during your breaks, making sure you hadn’t much time to think about Trowa, and for that you were grateful. You did your best to avoid your partner, but it was damned difficult when he was working just a few offices down the hallway. And you knew that sooner or later, you had to stop avoiding him because you still had a report to write.

You sat in your office, staring at the pile of paperwork on your desk. You didn’t know how long you had been staring at it, but you just couldn’t get your mind to work so the pile had to wait. You looked up when someone knocked on your door.

“Come in.”

Commander Une stepped into your office.

You shot up straight and saluted her. “Ma’am.”

“You may sit down, Agent –L/N-,” she said with a small smile.

You lowered yourself down in your chair again, while Une took the chair in front of your desk. 

“I’ve come to talk to you about your work,” Une said, while elegantly crossing her legs.

You swallowed thickly, before meeting her eyes. “M-my work?”

She nodded. “I’m very pleased with the research you did on your mission.”

“Oh. Thank you.” 

“The investigation has been rounded up last week, but I haven’t seen a report on your mission yet,” Une said.

“I know,” you said softly. “My apologies.”

“Is there any particular reason why I don’t have it yet?” she asked you.

She wasn’t sounding stern, but the fact that she was questioning you made you feel uneasy. You knew that you had to be honest with her, but how in the world were you supposed to tell her that you were avoiding Trowa like the plague?

“The situation between me and Agent Barton has been difficult since our mission,” you said carefully. “I didn’t mean for it to influence my work.”

“I have a feeling that the kidnapping may have had a bigger impact on you than I first thought,” Une said thoughtfully. 

You bit your lip. “I don’t know.”

“I want you to take the afternoon off. And I want you to start on your report tomorrow,” Une said while getting up. “I also think some sessions with a psychologist might be in order.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“If there is anything else you want to talk about, I’m in my office.”

You nodded meekly and got up to salute her as she strode out of your office. As she disappeared from view, you sank down in your chair with a deep sigh. Great. Just what you needed. A free afternoon to dwell on your feelings for Trowa! Anger sparked and you were up the next instant, quickly gathering your stuff. 

Ten minutes later, you left the office. Talk. Everyone wanted you to talk! Like that would make Trowa love you! You felt so angry. You where angry with yourself for loving that bastard, with him for ignoring you, with Duo for trying to help you, with everything! You where so lost in thought, you didn’t notice Trowa walking down the hallway. You bumped against his shoulder.

“Damn it!” You turned around and glared at him.

Trowa stopped and turned to look at you, confusion at your angry tone clear in his eyes. 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

_That did it!_

“Why is everyone asking me if I am alright!?!” you snapped at him. “Can’t you see I’m not? Damn it!”

“Calm down. You’re making a scene,” Trowa said.

“I don’t give a fuck!” you exclaimed, not really caring about the curious stares you were attracting. 

You continued your way down the hall and left the building. But Trowa followed you.

“-Y/N-! Wait!”

“No! Leave me alone!” You were nearly breaking down and you didn’t want him to see. 

“But.”

“I said no!” you whirled around to give him a fierce glare, and he stopped. 

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. 

“Good,” you bit out, before continuing on your way.

Trowa stared after you, quite unsure of what to do.

“Trowa!” He nearly sighed when he hear Duo approach. The braided man came to a halt next to him. “What happened?”

“I bumped into her and she started screaming.”

“I see,” Duo said. “Just let her be. I think she needs time for herself.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“You must be really blind!” Duo said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered stubbornly.

“Jesus!” Duo snapped. “I don’t know what the hell happened between the two of you, but it’s – Shit!” 

Trowa glared at him as Duo slapped his hand over his mouth to cut off his own words. “But it’s what?”

“It’s quite clear that she has feelings for you.”

Trowa sighed deeply. So that might be it. He ran a hand over his face. Duo gave him a nasty look.

“What happened in Spain?” he asked.

Trowa shook his head. “It doesn’t concern you.”

“She’s my friend and you’re hurting her, so yes, it concerns me.”

“I...I... Damn it! I’m leaving!” Trowa was surprised at his own sudden anger and need to bail. 

He didn’t feel like examining the situation. You would just have to understand that he wasn’t planning on having a relationship with one of his colleagues. It complicated things. Hell, even just sex complicated things and had screwed up your mission. Une didn’t know, but since he had been responsible for your safety and had failed, he had to take three weeks off from work without pay. He had put off writing the report on the mission, because he had other things he wanted to finish first, before taking his extended leave. 

And now you had exploded at him. He knew he had to talk to you, and that he probably owed you an explanation. He’d try tomorrow, he decided. 

Half an hour later, he found himself pacing up and down his living room. He was restless, angry, and confused. He didn’t know what to think. Did he have any feelings for you, other than that physical attraction that he so desperately tried to ignore? It had happened because he had acted on instinct and lust. And then there was Middie…

He stopped pacing when the door bell rang and sighed. He would have to figure it out later. He went to open the door and found Middie on his doorstep, a smile on her face.

“Hi!” she greeted him cheerfully.

“Hey,” he said quietly, while stepping back to let her in. 

Since his return from the mission, Middie came by every day. It was comforting to sit next to her, to try and mend what had been broken all those years ago. 

She knew her way around and set course for the living room, plopping down on the couch with a grin. “I got a job!”

“Congratulations,” he said, while heading into the kitchen to prepare some coffee.

“It simple, but it’ll provide me with something to do. I can always look for something else later.”

He hummed in agreement, a little lost in thought. Middie seemed to notice, and she was off the couch in the next instant.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah…” he said wearily. 

“You don’t sound alright.”

“-Y/N- and I had a… it wasn’t even a fight,” he said. “She just tried to bite my head off.”

“Oh,” was all Middie said, the expression on her face becoming thoughtful. “Why would she do that?”

“You tell me,” he muttered with a shrug. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow and see if we can sort it out.”

He felt her slip her hand around his and he froze. He could feel her near, the warmth of her body radiating against his back and then her free arm was slipping around his waist from behind and her head came to rest against his shoulder blade. 

“Middie…”

“I…” She sighed and tightened her hold on him. “Sorry. You looked like you needed a hug.”

He had a feeling that she had wanted to say more, but he didn’t press. Middie was a safer option than you, he realized. But was that what he really wanted? 

-x-x-x-

The crying had stopped hours ago, but you still felt miserable. You were lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling of your living room, but not really seeing anything. You sighed deeply and closed your eyes. How were you to ever face Trowa again? With the way you had acted towards him, he sure was ought to have a lot of questions. You weren’t sure if you wanted to answer them. How were you to tell him that you were in love with him? 

You shouldn’t have slept with him. It was clear that it hadn’t meant as much to him as it had to you. _Stubborn, my ass,_ you thought bitterly. Stubbornness had nothing to do with him ignoring you. He was being a plain asshole. 

You frowned when the doorbell rang. You weren’t expecting anyone and didn’t feel like having company at all. You remained where you were and sighed when the doorbell rang for a second time. 

You growled and got up, stalking towards the door and yanking it open with an angry “What?!”.

Duo gave you an apologetic look. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Oh, it’s you.” You pinched the bridge of your nose and squeezed your eyes shut as you felt the beginning of a nasty headache. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” Duo gave you an easy smile. “I came to see if you are alright.”

You gave a shrug. “I don’t know.”

He reached out and gave your arm a comforting squeeze. “Want to talk about it?”

You stepped back and gave a bitter chuckle. “I don’t know.”

“I brought you chocolate.” He held up a bag and smiled sheepishly. 

You managed a weak smile. “Thanks Duo.” 

He stepped inside and you closed the door behind him. “Any time.”

“Hmm…” You walked back into the living room and gestured for him to sit down on the couch. “Can I get you anything?”

“Coffee?”

“Sure thing.” You went into the kitchen and prepared coffee for him and tea for yourself.

“So I heard that you and Trowa had a falling out,” Duo started casually when you carried two steaming mugs into the living room. 

“A falling out?” you questioned.

“Yeah, you know… From what I heard you were pretty angry with him.” 

You bit your lip. “Not angry. Disappointed is more like it.”

“I see.” He took the mug you offered him. 

“He ignored me for the past three weeks and I…” you fell silent and shrugged, unsure of what to say. “It hurts.”

“He is kinda stubborn, but I don’t think he does it on purpose.”

You gave him a skeptical look. “Really?”

“My guess is that he feels guilty about not being able to protect you,” Duo said. “I heard that Une gave him Hell for it.”

“Oh…” You bit down on your lip, feeling horrible. You hadn’t known. “It wasn’t just his fault, your know. I wandered off alone and didn’t bring my gun with me.”

“But still… Trowa is your mentor and he should have thought of the consequences.” 

You shook your head. “I’m just as responsible as he is. But it isn’t just that, and you know it.”

“Yeah…” He sipped his coffee. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of his.”

“Probably Middie, if I have to believe the rumors.” And with those words, you had touched the subject that bothered you the most. “Is he dating her?”

“I don’t think so,” Duo said thoughtfully. “He would tell me if he was.”

You sighed and sipped your tea. 

“Back in Spain, I asked you if you were in love with him and you said you didn’t know,” Duo started. “What about now?”

The question had your eyes brimming with fresh tears. “I am in love with him.”

He gave you a sympathetic look and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “It’s okay. Just give him some time. Maybe he’ll come to his senses.”

You could only hope so.

-x-x-x-

It was past midnight when Trowa’s cell phone rang. He sat up and turned on the light before grabbing his phone.

“Hello?”

“Trowa, it’s Wufei. We’ve caught the last one.” Wufei sounded tired, but relieved.

Trowa let out a relieved sigh and collapsed back onto the mattress. “That’s good.”

It had been Sally who had proposed to go after the last criminal walking around freely. Trowa had made sure that Catherine had been okay and that she was on her guard until Wufei and Sally had caught him. 

“Is Catherine okay?” Trowa asked.

“She’s fine,” Wufei said. “She told me to say hi.”

He felt his lips twitch with the barest hint of a smile. “Tell her hi back.”

“I will. We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to bring him in.”

“I’ll start on the report tomorrow morning. Can you forward me your input?”

“Sure thing,” Wufei said.

“Good.”

“It must be late over there. I’m going to let you go back to sleep.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” 

He ended the conversation soon after that and lay staring at the ceiling for a long time. Just great. He was wide awake now and as he lay thinking, his thoughts turned back to your outburst earlier that day. 

_“It’s quite clear that she has feelings for you.”_

He sighed as Duo’s words flitted through his mind. He had to talk to you. Tomorrow morning the two of you had to start on the report on the mission and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He didn’t want to deal with you and the consequences of what had happened in Spain. Stop being a coward, he told himself. 

He would write that damned report and then he had three weeks to distance himself from you. After that, he would make sure you’d get assigned a new mentor and then he could keep his distance from you. Middie would be a better option. He liked her well enough. 

He sighed. If only his heart would agree with him.

-x-x-x-

The next morning, you found Trowa waiting in front of your office. You felt your mood drop as you saw the cool and distant expression on his face.

“What are you doing here?” you asked him with a sigh.

“We have to start on our report today,” he said. “Wufei and Sally managed to catch the last suspect and they are bringing him in today.”

“Oh. That’s good to hear,” you said while unlocking your office door. “Come in. We can start right away.”

He followed you into your office and shut the door behind him. “Duo and Heero will include their input after we finish, since we did the prime observations.”

“Hmm…” You sat down behind your computer and booted it up. “I have already collected all the info we found during our research.”

You hated how businesslike this conversation was. He didn’t mention your little episode from yesterday, and seemed to want to get things done quickly. Well, he could forget about that.

“About yesterday…” you started, while turning to look at him. “I’m sorry about how I acted towards you. It was uncalled for.”

“It’s fine,” he said.

“I was just a bit stressed out, because Une came here and basically told me to work harder.” You bit down on your bottom lip. “She thinks that the kidnapping may influence my work.”

“Is it?” he questioned.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. In the beginning I was reminded of it often because of the bruise, but it’s almost gone now.”

He gave your cheek a scrutinizing look, and his fingers came up to touch the fading bruise. His touch was gentle and made you tremble. Afraid of losing your composure, you pulled back and averted your eyes. 

“I…” You swallowed thickly. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

You met his gaze and saw something there, but you didn’t dare to try and figure out what it was. You shook your head and sighed. “We should get to work.” 

“You’re not telling me something,” he said.

“I see no reason why I should tell you anything,” you muttered, while turning back to your computer. 

You could feel his gaze on you, dark and brooding, and you forced your attention back to the report you had to write. With a sigh, he caved and presented you with a flash drive.

“I’ve got Wufei’s input here.”

You worked for two hours straight, and managed to get the report halfway finished. Afterwards, you tried to get him out of your office as fast as possible, but he seemed to be determined to talk to you.

“We’re not finished yet,” he said calmly, when you saved the file.

“Oh?”

“We need to talk.”

“Do we?”

He let out a frustrated sigh and crossed his arms. “Don’t try to fool me. You didn’t just blow up on me yesterday because Une visited you.”

You scowled. You so didn’t want a confrontation with him now. “So now, after three weeks of giving me the silent treatment you’re suddenly all about talking?”

“That’s it then, isn’t it?” he asked.

You turned your gaze towards the wall and refused to look at him. “Whatever is going on with me doesn’t concern you.”

His visible eye narrowed. “I am your mentor. If there is anything work related bothering you, you should tell me about it.”

“How nice of you to remind me,” you sneered. “You did a lousy job of it back in Spain.”

“Jesus, is this about what happened or the kidnapping?”

You glared at him. “Why don’t you just admit that you used me?”

His gaze softened. “I didn’t.”

You looked down at your hands, which were nervously fidgeting in your lap. “Didn’t you?”

“I…” He sighed. “Look, this isn’t the time or place to talk about it.”

“You started this,” you muttered. “The past three weeks weren’t so great, because I really could have used your support, regardless of what happened.”

He was silent for a while and you felt your anxiety grow with every passing second. 

“I get it,” he said finally. 

“Good.”

“I just don’t think it’s wise if you read anything more into what happened,” he continued.

His words felt like a slap in the face to you. You heart broke and you took a deep, shuddering breath. You felt tears prick at your eyes and tried your best to keep them at bay.

“Fine. That just confirms that you used me,” you bit out. “Get the hell out of my office.”

With a sigh, he got up and walked out, leaving you heartbroken and miserable. 

-x-x-x-

An hour later, you felt yourself restless and furious. How could he just pretend like nothing had happened? Like he didn't care? You refused to cry, not wanting anyone to see the pain that squeezed around your heart. You scowled and slammed open the door to the gym. A good work out would get rid of your anger. Afterwards, you would go home and think rationally about this whole miserable situation.

You found Heero in the middle of his work out. He gazed up when you entered the gym and stopped his mid-rep, his eyes narrowing as he took in the look on your face. 

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing," you said. "Just need to blow off some steam."

"Want to work out with me?" he asked. 

"Sure. Maybe you can teach me something." The idea of working out with Heero took your mind of Trowa and you felt your mood lift a little. "Let me get warmed up."

An hour later you found yourself sweaty and tired, and with your body aching all over. Working out with Heero was intense and he demanded your utmost attention. If you were to let your guard drop, he would immediately take advantage of it. It had happened a few times and you had found the ground coming up to meet you. You were a quick learner, and forced yourself to keep your focus.

"One more time," Heero said, while gesturing for you to try and attack him again.

You nodded, took a deep breath and aimed a kick at his stomach. He was quick to grab hold of your ankle and twisted, but you moved with him as he floored you, bringing your arm up to elbow him in the ribs. He grunted at the impact and grabbed your arm, pinning it behind your back. You could feel his knee digging into your lower back and knew that you had lost. You sighed. 

“What did I do wrong?” you asked him. 

“Nothing. I’m just stronger than you.”

You blinked at his blunt answer. “So if you had been a random guy…”

“The blow to the ribs should have given you the advantage.” 

“Hmm…”

He let go of your arm and moved away from you, sitting down on the mat. You sat up as well and found him looking at you with a scrutinizing expression on his face.

“What?” you asked, a little more aggressively than you meant to.

“Care to tell me what’s bothering you?” he asked.

It surprised you that he cared, but then Heero had been part of your mission too. You sighed. “Trowa is being an ass.”

“In what way?”

“He doesn’t even care about what happened to me on the mission,” you said quietly. “It sucks because I could have really used his support.”

“Hn.”

“I’m thinking of asking for a new mentor,” you confessed quietly. “But I don’t know who to ask for.”

“If it’s really necessary Duo or I would volunteer,” Heero offered. “But I think you should try to sort this out with Trowa first.”

You nodded. “Thanks.”

“Is the kidnapping bothering you?” Heero asked.

You shrugged. “Some. It’s not like I have nightmares, but… I just hated the bruise on my face.”

“Hn. Maybe you should see the psychologist.”

“Une expects me to make an appointment,” you told him with a slight smile. “So I’m gonna do that next week.”

“Good.” Heero crossed his arms in front of his chest. “If you want, I can work out again with your tomorrow.”

You nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Heero.”

“You’re welcome.”

His unexpected kindness made you feel a little better. “I’m gonna go home. See you tomorrow.”

You got up, just in time to see Trowa enter the gym. His expression darkened when he saw that you had been sitting on the mat with Heero, but he didn’t comment on it as you passed him. Your heart sank as you saw the distant look in his eyes and you quickly hurried back to the locker rooms, wanting to leave his presence as soon as possible.

Trowa refused to feel jealous when he saw you with Heero. It wouldn’t bother him in the slightest, he told himself. But as he approached his friend, he could see the foul look that Heero send him.

“What?” he asked gruffly.

“Just what the hell have you done for –Y/N- to want to request a new mentor?” Heero asked him.

_What?!?_ Unexpected anger sparked, and he felt a little stung that you hadn’t told him about this first. “Why didn’t she bother to tell me this first?” 

“Because you’re being an ass.”

“You don’t know anything about what’s going on!” Trowa snapped.

“I don’t,” Heero admitted. “But she is your pupil, so I suggest you keep her feelings in regard.”

Great. Now he was getting scolded by Heero about feelings. Whatever. 

“I’m sick of having to deal with this every day,” he snapped, before turning around on his heel and leaving the gym. 

He wasn’t going to stay there if everyone was gonna try and verbally lash out at him. A jog around the park seemed a much better option at the moment. 

-x-x-x-

Two weeks later, the situation hadn’t gotten any better. You had given Trowa time to think about what you had said, but he was completely ignoring you, having taken his extended leave without telling you about it. The idea to request a new mentor started to look more tempting every day. You were so fed up with everything and one day, you just burst into Duo’s office.

“God damn it!” you exclaimed. “I’ve given him time and he is fucking ignoring me!”

Duo looked up in surprise. “Relax, -Y/N-. Sit down and tell me what’s bothering you.”

You shut the door and plopped down in the chair in front of Duo’s desk. You wearily rubbed your forehead and sighed. “I’m so tired of this bullshit, Duo.”

“I totally understand, babe.” He moved around his desk and leaned back against, while resting a hand on your shoulder. “But you still haven’t told me everything.”

“I know,” you murmured miserably. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” He gave you a comforting smile. “Tell me what happened in Spain.”

You sighed and closed your eyes as you prepared to drop de bomb. “I slept with him.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me,” you bit your lip as you gazed up at him. “I know it was a stupid thing to do, but it just… happened.”

“Trowa should have known better.”

You shrugged. “I’m as much at fault as he is.”

“But he is your mentor.”

“He didn’t take advantage of me,” you said vehemently. “At least, back then I thought he didn’t. But now he is ignoring me and I don’t know why.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“No!” you exclaimed. “Please, Duo! You can’t tell him you know!”

“But this whole thing is obviously bothering you.”

“Because I was stupid enough to fall in love with him.” You felt tears come up with your confession and you blinked hard to keep them at bay. “He doesn’t love me back.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“He said that I shouldn’t expect more from him.” You sighed. “How more clear can he be?”

Duo sighed too and gazed up at the ceiling of his office, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I think he is confused. He’s got that Middie girl messing with his head and then there is you.”

“Is he dating her?”

“I still don’t know,” he said. “But I’m going to talk to him this afternoon.”

“Please…”

“I won’t tell him I know everything, but I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.” Duo’s eyes narrowed. “He has to get his shit straight and keep your feelings in regard.”

“Will he listen to you?”

“I don’t know. He’s as stubborn as a mule.” Duo gave you a smile. “But I’ll try.”

You gave him a weak smile. “Thanks.”

-x-x-x-

The next day, Duo told you that he hadn’t been able to talk to Trowa, but to your surprise Trowa showed up in the office. He only gave you a curt nod in greeting when you passed him in the hallway, and disappeared into his office. You bit your lip as you saw that Duo had seen Trowa too, and followed him.

“Hey man. Thought you wouldn’t be back until next week or so,” you heard the braided man say before he closed the door.

_Uh-oh_ … You cautiously approached the door and pressed your ear against it. It was stupid to eavesdrop, but you had to know what was being said inside the office.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” you heard Duo ask.

“About what?”

“About –Y/N-.”

You heart started beating faster. You could only hope that Trowa would be reasonable.

Trowa just stared at Duo. Here he was, back in the office to pick up some items he had forgotten, and he was immediately ambushed to talk about you. 

“Are you dating Middie?”

“What?” Trowa glared at his friend, not really understanding why Duo was asking about Middie if he had wanted to talk about you.

“It’s a simple question. Are you dating her or not?” Duo asked. He looked at Trowa, silently daring him to answer the question with his eyes.

“Why are you asking me this?” Trowa asked, refusing to answer. Damn it, he wanted to be left alone.

“Because there is a woman in this building, who is miserable because you slept with her and...”

“Shut up!” Trowa stalked towards him.

“...and you just ignored her afterwards.” Duo glared at him. “She loves you.”

Trowa grabbed Duo by the collar of his shirt. “You don’t know anything about what happened between –Y/N- and me.”

“I do. She told me.”

Forest green eyes narrowed. “What?”

“You heard me. You can let go of me now.” Duo tried to pry Trowa’s hands off his shirt.

Trowa’s grip only tightened. “Mind your own business, Duo!”

“I can’t. I won’t ignore her, because it’s obvious he needs someone who listens to her.”

Anger peaked, and before he knew it, he had punched Duo in the face. Duo pushed him, sending him flying through the office and wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. Trowa attacked him again, pinning him face-down to the ground. He twisted his arm behind his back, causing the braided man to groan.

Suddenly the door flew open. You stood there, your eyes ablaze with anger and looking strangely beautiful.

“Get off of him,” you said coldly.

Trowa glared at you. “No.”

Duo took advantage of Trowa’s distraction and managed to free his arm. He landed a hard punch on Trowa’s jaw. Trowa fell backwards, swearing at Duo as he landed on the carpet.

Duo stood up. “You two need to talk,” he said like nothing had happened.

“No, we don’t!” you said, vehemently, not feeling like talking to Trowa at all.

Trowa stood up too and pushed Duo out of his office. He grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards him, slamming the door shut and locking it.

“Why the hell did you tell him?” he snapped.

You glared at him. “Does it matter?”

His glare matched yours. “Yes.”

You sighed. “I had to get it off my back. Happy now?”

He growled. “No.”

“Damn it! You don’t get it do you?” you exclaimed. “What happened between us meant more to me than it did to you! You ignored me after we got back. Isn’t it normal that I had to talk about it?”

Trowa turned away from you and stared at the ground. “I’m sorry.”

You blinked at his apology. “Trowa…”

“We cannot be together,” he said quietly. “I’m your mentor and...”

You sighed. “Is that what’s holding you back?”

He turned around. “I...”

You smiled, but the edges of your smile were sad. He was close, so close you could reach out to touch him. You did. You grabbed onto his shirt and buried your face in his chest. His hands came up to rest on top of your own. You looked up, afraid he would reject you when he removed your hands from his shirt.

He cupped your face. You couldn’t help but lean into the gentle touch.

Trowa felt a tightening in his chest when he saw you close your eyes. The past two weeks had been difficult, but he had figured out what he felt for you. He had been desperate to ignore it, wanting to do the honorable thing and keep his distance from you, since he was your mentor. But now, his heart was telling him another thing. 

“What happened in Spain...” he said softly, “meant as much to me as it does to you.”

You opened your eyes. “Then why were you...” 

You fell silent when his lips covered yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your eyes drifting shut again. His arms wrapped around your waist, holding you close. This was how it should be. Trowa felt the emotion so strong, it almost made him dizzy. This was love. 

The kiss didn’t deepen, and you simply kept your lips pressed against his. Yet it meant so much more than the other kisses you had shared with him. You felt like you where floating. Your fingers caressed the back of his neck and when he broke the kiss you immediately missed the contact.

You smiled and rested your head against his shoulder. He kissed your temple. 

“I should go and talk to Une,” you told him quietly. “Request a new mentor.”

“Hmm…” He nuzzled your hair.

You sighed, completely content. “Who would you suggest?”

Trowa gave a little shrug, mindful of your head resting against his shoulder. “Didn’t you have a talk with Heero about it?”

“Hmm…” You straightened and gave him a small smile. “Maybe Une has a suggestion for me.”

He pressed a gentle kiss against your lips. “Have lunch with me?”

“Sure.” You gave him a smile before leaving his office. 

You found Duo in the hallway, nursing his jaw, which was turning a nice shade of purple.

“I see he got you good,” you told him with a chuckle.

“Yeah… Gave him a nice one in return, but he’s got a nasty right hook.” He gave you a grin. “So everything is worked out now?”

You smiled. “Everything is fine.”

“If you’re smiling like that, it can only mean he stopped being a stubborn mule,” Duo observed, causing you to blush.

“Yeah… we still have a lot to talk about, but we’ll be alright,” you said. “I gotta go and talk to Une. Request a new mentor and all that.”

“Tell her that I would volunteer.” Duo gave you a wink. 

“Thanks Duo.”

“Any time.”

You made your way to the staircase, deciding to forego the elevator and made your way up to the top floor. It was only three stories up, so it wasn’t too much of a climb. You found your way to Une’s office and politely greeted her secretary.

“I’m here to speak with Commander Une,” you told her.

“One moment,” the secretary told you with a smile. “I’ll see if she is available.”

She buzzed the intercom.

“Yes, Christine?” Commander Une’s voice came through the intercom.

“Agent -L/N- is here to see you, Ma’am.”

“Send her in.”

The secretary gave you a smile. “You have you answer.”

“Thank you.” You made your way to the door and knocked, waiting for Une to call you in. When she did, you stepped inside. “Good morning, Ma’am.”

“Good morning, Agent -L/N-“ Une looked up from her computer screen and smiled at you. “Have a seat.”

You closed the door and sat down in the chair in front of Une’s desk.

“I came to ask for a new mentor,” you said.

“Oh, may I ask why?” Une asked, suprise washing over her features.

You felt heat rise to your cheeks. “Agent Barton and I are… involved.”

“I see.” A small smile broke out on her face. “Is there anyone who you’d recommend for his replacement as your mentor?”

“Agent Maxwell said he would volunteer.”

“Aah, yes.” She leaned back in her chair and studied you. “You know the rules and regulations concerning relationships within the agency. I trust you to stick to them.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Good.” Une looked satisfied. “I’ll ask my secretary to inform Agent Maxwell of his new duty.”

You smiled and got up. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

“You’re welcome.”

You quickly saluted her and left her office, feeling giddy with the prospect of having lunch with Trowa. You knew there was still a lot to talk about, but you were sure that you would work it out. 

-x-x-x-

He had taken you to a small, charming bistro. The food was good, but his company was even better. You didn’t talk much, but there was a comfortable silence and him being with you was enough to make you happy. You’d have plenty of time to talk later. Now, you just wanted to bask in the knowledge that he was yours. 

You smiled when he looked at you. His lips twitched a bit in response. 

_Gods... he is so gorgeous_ , you thought. _And he’s all mine._

The knowledge was thrilling. 

“How is Middie doing?” you asked him.

“She’s okay. She was quite shaken up about the kidnapping, but she is doing better,” he said after sipping his soda. “She’s gotten a job.”

“That’s nice,” you said with a genuine smile.

Now that he had finally given in to you, you no longer feared that he would choose Middie over you. 

“Are you okay now? With the kidnapping I mean,” he said.

“Yeah…” You reached out for his hand and entwined your fingers with his. The familiar feeling of his callused skin sent tingles up your arm. “It was just the bruise that I hated. The kidnapping itself… I knew I didn’t have to fear being shipped off to some remote place.”

“I heard you went to see the psychologist.”

Ugh, news always travelled. “I had about two sessions, but she didn’t see any reason for me to continue with them.”

Relief flashed in his eyes. “Good.”

“Hmm…” you gave him a small smile and moved closer towards him, sliding around the booth to snuggle up against him. “This is nice.”

He nuzzled your hair and made a noise of agreement. “I should walk you back. Your lunch break is almost over.”

“Yeah…” you reluctantly got up and let him lead you back to HQ.

You walked back towards Headquarters, your hand entwined with his. 

“What time do you get off from work?” he asked you. 

“Three.” 

He let go of your hand and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him. You smiled at him.

“Have dinner with me?” he asked.

You stopped walking and took hold of the lapels of his jacket. “Are you going to cook for me?”

He slipped his other arm around you waist and leaned down for a gentle kiss. Your eyes drifted shut as his lips brushed over yours in a lazy manner that made anticipation settle in your stomach. The hint of tongue made the kiss hold a promise and you shivered with longing. You pressed your body into his, the feeling of rock hard muscles against your curves utterly delicious. The kiss deepened, and you totally forgot that you were in the middle of the street and that anyone could see you. It was lazy, slick, and mind numbing. 

When he broke the kiss, his eyes were clouded with desire. He rested his forehead against yours. “I’ve really been a fool, huh?”

You chuckled and reached up to caress his cheek. “You’re not going to worry about it. We’re together now and that’s all that matters.”

“Hmm…” His lips twitched into a small smile.

He took hold of your hand and you started walking again. It wasn’t far to HQ anymore. 

“I’ll bring a movie,” you told him. 

“Sounds good.” He gave you hand a squeeze.

You wanted to say more, but were cut off when the building on the other side of the street suddenly exploded. The force knocked you both off your feet. You felt Trowa’s arms slip around you, his hand cradling your head as you fell to the ground, protecting you from the blow with his body. You winced when your head hid the pavement. Your ears rang from the explosion, but you could still hear the chaos around you erupt as debris rained down on the streets. 

You gazed up at Trowa. His face was pale, his eyes clouded with pain, but the look in them softened when his eyes met yours. Your eyes widened when you realized that something was terribly wrong. 

“Trowa…” Fear squeezed around your heart, and you cupped his both his cheeks. 

His eyes drifted shut as he lost consciousness, his body slumping on top of yours. 

“No!” You carefully moved out from under him, too focused on him to notice the people running away from the scene around you. You pulled his upper body towards you. “Oh God…”

His back was covered in blood and glass splinters were sticking out of it. A wave of nausea washed over you at the sight. You were panicking, fear heavy in your stomach as you tried to figure out what to do. Tears blurred your vision and they cascaded down your cheeks, because - fuck - you couldn’t lose him now. 

“Trowa…” you pleaded quietly, while pressing you face against the top of his head. “Please be okay…”

You knew you had to leave the glass splinters in his wounds so they would prevent the bleeding, so you remained where you were, making sure not to move him. HQ should be alarmed by now, as well as the police and hospitals. Help had to be on its way soon. 

You swallowed as a sudden idea came to you and you reached for your pants’ pocket, managing to pull out the small tracking device that every Preventer Agent carried with them. You pushed in the button on the top, hoping that someone would catch the signal and come your way. You put the tracker back in your pocket and wrapped your arm around Trowa’s shoulders again. You caressed the back of his neck, willing yourself to focus so that the panic wouldn’t take over. 

It wasn’t long before you heard a familiar voice call your name through the chaos around you.

“Duo…” you whispered, realization dawning.

“DUO!” You called, hoping he would hear you. “WE’RE HERE!”

You gazed around frantically, until you finally spotted the braided man. He came running in your direction, followed by Sally. You saw other Preventers going around the scene, searching for other survivors of the explosion.

Duo knelt down beside you. “Are you okay?”

“Please,” you sobbed helplessly. “You need to help him.”

“There’s an ambulance on its way,” Duo told you while pressing a cloth against the back of your head.

You winced at the sudden, sharp sting, not having realized before that you were injured. 

“He...He protected me.” You gave Sally, who was taking a look at Trowa’s back, a pleading look. “Is it bad?”

“I can’t see it from here...” she said with a sigh. “We have to stabilize him, if any of those splinters move…”

Duo gave her a grim look. Wufei knelt down next to Sally. “Need help?”

“Yeah,” the blonde said. “How long until the ambulance gets here?”

“Five minutes.” Wufei gently pried your arms from around Trowa’s body. “You can let go off him...” he said softly.

You sobbed when you forced to let go, and Duo pulled you towards him. He took a clean cloth from Sally and pressed it against your head. “She probably needs stitches.”

You rested your head against Duo’s shoulder. “He has to be okay,” you whispered desperately. “Please let him be okay…”

You didn’t realize your eyes had drifted shut, until Duo gave you a firm shake.

“You have to stay awake...” he said.

“I know,” you murmured. You glanced at Trowa. Wufei was holding him, while Sally signaled over a pair of paramedics. 

“He was willing to give his life for me...” You started crying again, not able to stop the tears.

“Hush...” Duo rubbed your back. “It will be okay. It will all be alright...”

**\- End part 3 -**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of this part! I always love to hear from you! :)


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update time! As I was editing, I realized this part isn’t very long. But oh, well... I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing, its characters, or you.

**Now and Forever  
Part 4**

_Universitair Ziekenhuis, Brussels, AC 203_

Middie Une rushed into one of the hospital rooms of the UZ Brussels. Her face was pale and her hands were trembling. She drew to a halt when she saw a young woman sitting at Trowa’s bed. Trowa was lying on his stomach, still unconscious after his operation of a few hours ago. His back was wrapped up in with stark white bandages, hiding the wounds he had obtained during the explosion.

You were sitting at his side, holding his hand in yours. The wound on your head had been stitched and wrapped up. After the arrival at the hospital, Trowa had immediately been rushed into the emergency room for an operation. Your wound had been threatened at the first aid.

“-Y/N-?”

You looked up at the sound of Middie’s voice. Too quick, you thought miserably, as a wave of nausea washed over you. 

“Hey,” you managed, before slowly turning your head back to watch Trowa.

“What happened?” Middie asked.

“We had lunch together and when we walked back...” you had to swallow thickly. “There was an explosion and he protected me...”

Middie sat down beside you. “You are hurt too.”

“Just a heavy concussion.”

“Then you should be in bed,” Middie said sternly.

“I know. Duo managed to secure a room for me to stay in. They would have sent me home otherwise, but I sneaked out when he left to get coffee,” you said while smiling slightly. “They’re keeping Trowa in an artificial coma for a few days. To ensure he doesn’t move.” 

You heard footsteps in the hallway and rolled your eyes. Duo entered the room. “-Y/N-! You should be in bed!” 

You sighed and stood up on still wobbly legs. “I’m coming.”

You let go of Trowa’s hand and walked towards Duo. When the two of you had left the room, Duo spoke up.

“Had he already told Middie about you and him?” he asked.

“No.” You shook your head. “I didn’t think he had any reason to. It wasn’t like they were dating.”

You walked into your room and got in bed.

“Try to get some sleep okay? I’ll wake you in two hours.” Duo covered you with the blanket and kissed your forehead.

“Duo?”

“Hmm?”

“Will he be alright?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

You smiled back and closed your eyes.

-x-x-x-

Two days passed and Trowa still had to wake up. The doctor had told you that some of the wounds had been quite deep, but that there were no complications so far. If this kept up, they would take him of the medication that kept him asleep. Your concussion improved slowly, and Duo drove you to the hospital every day during visiting hours, so you could sit beside Trowa’s bed. The visits left you nauseous and drained, but you forced yourself to go. You had to be there when he woke up.

The investigation of the explosion was ongoing, but Wufei and Heero had found indications of a bomb in the remains of a building, so they assumed it was a terrorist attack. They had rounded up an investigation team for further research. 

You opened the door to Trowa’s room and stepped inside, leaving the door open behind you as walked to the bed. You smiled and ran your hand through his hair, smoothing his bangs before leaning in to kiss his temple. 

“Hey,” you whispered, while sinking in the chair that stood by his bed. “I’ve missed you.

He seemed so peaceful… But damn it, you wanted him to wake up. It would put a lot of your worries to rest. You made a mental note to speak with the doctor before you left. You took his hand in yours and used your free hand to caress his cheek. You almost missed the fluttering of his eyelids. You shook your head. You had to be imagining things. Then you felt his hand tighten around yours. Had they stopped the medication without informing you?

“Trowa?”

His eyelids fluttered again and then he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. He tried opening his eyes again and his gaze focused on you. You smiled through the tears that burned in your eyes. 

“Hi...” he whispered.

“Hi...” you whispered back, while leaning in to press your forehead against his. “Thank God you woke up. I was so worried.”

His eyes drifted to the table next to you. The nurse had left a bottle of water and an empty cup on there. “Do you want some water?” you asked.

He nodded. You quickly filled the cup and took the straw that was lying next to it. You watched him drink and put the cup back on the table when he was done. 

“Thanks,” he said, his voice a little clearer now.

“How are you feeling?” you asked.

He grunted. “Okay, I guess.”

“Your back got damaged pretty badly,” you told him quietly. “The windows of the building that exploded shattered and you got caught in the blast. You’re lucky the shards didn’t hit any organs.”

He was quiet as he processed that information. Then he noticed the bandage around your head. He brought up a hand to touch it. “You got hurt.”

You grabbed his hand and smiled slightly. “It’s not so bad,” you said. “Before I go home they’ll remove the bandage.”

He frowned.

“You shouldn’t have jumped in front of me.”

“I wanted to.”

“I... You scared me. Why did you do it?” you asked.

His eyes softened and his lips twitched a bit. “People do strange things when they are in love.”

You choked back a sob. “Idiot.”

He used his grip on your hand to pull you closer. He lifted his head a bit and rested his forehead against yours. 

“I was so scared...” you confessed. “I seriously thought you were going to die.”

“I didn’t.”

“Obviously.” You gave him a small smile, noticing he looked tired and was struggling to keep his eyes open. “You should get some rest.”

He grunted, his eyes already dropping shut. You pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth. 

“I’ll be back tonight,” you told him quietly. 

But he was already fast asleep.

-x-x-x-

Trowa woke up when the door opened. He blinked and looked back at the door, hoping that you were there, but he had to swallow back disappointment when he found Middie staring back at him in surprise.

“You’re awake,” she said with a wide and relieved smile.

She sat down in the chair next to his bed and reached for his hand. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,” he apologized. 

“-Y/N- was really worried,” she murmured. “She was glued to your bedside whenever she had the chance.”

“She was?” He couldn’t stop the small smile that spread on his face on hearing that bit of information, and Middie noticed. 

“Are you seeing her?”

He nodded. “We just had everything sorted out before the explosion happened.”

A small, albeit sad smile formed on her face. “I see.”

Realization dawned upon him. “Middie…”

“No, it’s alright.” She shook her head. “It was stupid to think that you would return my feelings.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he felt compelled to say.

“You can’t force love.” Her smile was less sad now. “I was holding onto old feelings.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We weren’t meant to be together.” Middie put her hand on his shoulder. “Be happy.”

His lips twitched a bit. “Thanks.”

He heard footsteps in the hallway and gazed up when he saw you entering the room. “Hey.”

You smiled at him and rushed forward. “Hi.”

Middie got up and grinned down at him. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

She left the room and you took her place at his bed. “You look much better already.”

He raised an eyebrow. “It has just been a few hours since you last saw me.”

“You still look better,” you insisted with a grin. “More color on your face, I guess.”

He noticed the bandage was gone and felt relieved to know it had indeed been a minor wound. He held out his hand for you to take and his heart warmed when you did. 

“Heero and Wufei are investigating the cause of the explosion,” you said quietly. “They have found a bomb.”

“Shit. Really?”

You nodded, you expression turning solemn. “Fifty people have died. They counted two hundred wounded.”

His breath left his lungs in a rush. “Are they keeping you updated?”

“Just bits and pieces what I hear from Duo. I’m not on the investigation team.” You pouted. “This concussion sucks.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed then?”

You grinned. “I sleep when I’m home. Do you know how miserable I had to make Duo’s life before he allowed me to sit here during visiting hours?”

“Duo doesn’t have a lot of patience, so I can’t imagine it took you much effort,” he said dryly. “Go home and sleep.”

“I just got here!” you protested. But at his stern look you caved. “Alright, alright.”

You kissed him, before getting up and leaving the room. He couldn’t help but grin at your back. 

-x-x-x-

A few days later, you ventured off to the hospital again. Trowa had insisted that you stayed home until you felt better. You almost didn’t feel the concussion anymore and you were determined to sit at Trowa’s side. He was in a far worse state than you were, so he shouldn’t worry. You carefully opened the door to his room and peeked inside. Your eyes lit up with joy. Trowa was sitting on his bed, with his back against the pillows.

His turned his head towards you and his eyes softened. “Hi...”

You grinned and stepped inside, closing the door behind you. You walked towards the bed and sat down on the edge. You bent forward and kissed him. “This is an improvement.”

“Hmm…”

He wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed you again. You allowed him to deepen the kiss, because after the days of being careful you craved the contact. You slipped one arm around his neck, while you pressed your free hand against his chest. When the need to breathe came, he pulled back.

“How is your back?” you asked softly.

“Better,” he murmured, while nuzzling your hair. “Doc says the wounds are healing well.”

“That’s good to hear.” You rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes.

“Come sit beside me,” he said.

“Huh?” You looked up. “But your back...”

“I won’t die from it,” he said.

He let go of you and carefully moved over, so you could sit beside him. You watched him, worry evident in your eyes. You weren’t sure if this was such a good idea. He didn’t seem to be in pain, so when he was settled you moved. You carefully sat down beside him and smiled when he wrapped his arm around you. 

“Okay?” you asked.

“Okay,” he confirmed. “Any news on the investigation?”

“No. Didn’t Heero and Wufei visit you?”

“They did, but of course they guard any info on it better than Alcatraz.”

You laughed and turned your head to nuzzle his cheek. “They’ll solve the mysteries, I’m sure.”

He turned his head to catch your mouth again, and you melted into him. You hadn’t forgotten the kiss he had given you before the explosion, and you were acutely reminded of the feelings he had evoked in you then. You moaned softly when his tongue slid inside your mouth. He explored lazily, and you couldn’t do anything but tighten your hold on him. You moved carefully, straddling his lap. His fingers tangled in your hair, tugging your head back. He broke the kiss and trailed his mouth along your throat. Your fingers slid down over his chest and slipped under the shirt he was wearing. You touched his abdomen, causing him to hiss.

“Do you know what you do to me?” he asked.

His voice was so husky it made you shiver. “Do you want me to stop?” 

One of your hands slid up to his chest, until it covered his heart. You could feel his strong heartbeat against your fingers. 

He hissed again when you bid his earlobe gently. “It’s better if you do...”

You pulled back and pouted. “Can’t control yourself, Agent?”

“This is a hospital,” he reminded you, but his grin flashed.

You rolled your eyes and slid off of him, settling against his side again. He pressed a kiss against your forehead, causing you to smile.

“When you are allowed to go home...” you said.

“Hmm?”

“You can stay at my apartment, if you want to.”

He nuzzled your hair again and breathed in the scent of your shampoo. “That would be nice.”

At the knock on the door, you both looked up. 

“Come in.” you called.

The door opened, revealing a woman around your age, with half long, blond hair. 

“Mandy?” Your eyes widened at the sight of your cousin. “What are you doing here?”

“I was told that you would probably be here,” she said, while stepping into the room.

You jumped off the bed and rushed over to hug her. “It’s good to see you.”

“I’m so glad you are okay,” she whispered. “You gave us all quite a scare.”

She was the first person to visit you. Your parents lived quite far away and your relationship with them had been strained when you had decided to sign up for the Academy. Mandy was the only family you had regular contact with.

She gave you a smile as you pulled back from the hug. “I’m sorry I just got here. I wanted to come sooner, but my boss thought I had to round up my project first.”

“It’s okay.”

“I tried for a few days, then told him to go fuck himself.”

You choked back a laugh. “You didn’t!”

“Did.” She turned her attention over to Trowa. “You must be Trowa.”

He nodded and held out his hand for her to shake. 

“I’m Mandy,” she introduced herself. “I’m –Y/N-‘s cousin.”

She dug into her purse and handed you an envelope. “Your mother told me to give you this.”

“Gee…” You scowled at the envelope, before opening it. “What happened to a phone call when your only child gets caught in an explosion?”

“Your parents want you to come home,” she offered.

You entwined your fingers with Trowa’s. “I can’t. Trowa is going to be staying with me when he gets out of the hospital.”

Mandy hesitated for a moment. “Actually, they want you to quit working for the Preventers. They think the job is too dangerous.”

You scowled. “They can kiss my ass. I’m not quitting.”

“I’ll tell them that.” Mandy smirked.

“Where are you staying?” you asked her.

“I’m gonna look for a hotel in town when I leave from here,” she said.

“Nonsense. You can stay at my place,” you protested. “If you want, you can already go there. There is a guy in the cafeteria downstairs who has the key. His name is Duo.”

“Uh…”

“You can’t miss him. He’s the guy with the foot long braid.”

Mandy’s eyes widened. 

“Alright. I’ll look for him.” 

And she promptly fled the room.

You chuckled and turned back to Trowa, seating yourself on the edge of the bed again. You noticed the expression on his face and you quickly sobered up. “What’s the matter?” 

“Are your parents giving you trouble?” he asked.

You shrugged. “Some, but it’s mostly concern that has them acting that way.” 

He gazed down at your entwined hands and nodded. “I see… There’s something I need to tell you.” 

His tone was so serious it made nerves settle in the pit of your stomach. “About what?” 

His lips twitched, but the little smile he gave you was wry. “About me.” 

A frown formed on your face and you scooted closer, cupping his cheek with your free hand. “It’s not something bad, is it?” 

“Depends on your definition of bad,” he said. “You know I fought in the war, right?” 

You nodded. “Yeah… I kinda wondered about that because that meant you were very young at that time.” 

“I was. I was younger than the Alliance or OZ soldiers.” He tightened his grip on your hand, as if he was afraid you might pull it back. “I was a Gundam pilot.” 

You sat staring at him in stunned silence. And then you broke out into a nervous chuckle. “What?” 

He met your gaze head on as he repeated the words. “I was a Gundam pilot.”

“Okay…” You had to take a deep breath. “Wow. Okay.” 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah… Fine.” You shook your head as you realized the weight of his words and the amount of trust he had in you. He wouldn’t have told you otherwise and you were reminded of his words from a few days ago. He really was in love with you. “Thank you. For telling me this, I mean.”

“You should know who you’re dealing with,” he murmured. 

His words sounded casual, but even so his grip on your hand was still tight. You smiled at him in reassurance, and you noticed the flash of relief in his eyes. 

“I know what this means,” you said softly. “So thank you for trusting me.” 

His lips tilted in a small smile and you leaned in to kiss it. 

-x-x-x-

A week later, Trowa’ s stitches were removed and he was allowed to go home, as the doctor didn’t foresee any problems. He had been following physical therapy the last few days, and the wounds, although painful, didn’t show any signs of irritation or infection. You were giddy with the prospect of taking him home with you, eager to spend time with him. Your face practically lit up when you walked into his hospital room. 

“Hi,” you said while moving in to press a kiss against his lips. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He carefully stood up and took the bag that contained his belongings. His movements were stiff and calculated, but you knew he would be okay.

You left the hospital together, you fingers entwined with his. 

“My mother called me,” you told him, once you were seated in your car. 

He turned his head to give you a questioning look. “And?”

“She begged me to come home,” you muttered with a frown marring your face. “I told her I can’t leave Brussels.”

“Maybe you should invite her over,” he suggested.

You snorted and shook your head. “I don’t think that would end well. She has her own ideas about how I should live my life.”

“Hmm…” He reached out and took your hand in his, bringing it up to kiss your fingers. Your heart fluttered at the tender gesture. “Just give her some time.”

You smiled at him. “Right.”

“Is your cousin still staying with you?” Trowa asked, when you drove your car off the hospital perimeter .

“Yeah,” you said. “Although I’m not seeing much of her. She kinda worships the ground Duo walks on.”

He raised an eyebrow at that and you couldn’t help but laugh. “He seems pretty taken with her too.”

“I see,” he said dryly. 

You arrived at your apartment shortly after that, and you were quick to take him up to the second floor of the building you lived in. When you entered your apartment you found a note from Mandy.

You grinned. “Guess what? She has gone out with Duo.”

Trowa wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed you. His hands slid under your shirt, touching your back in a teasing caress. “So we’re on our own.”

You gave him a coy smile. “Seems like it.”

His eyes darkened and he pulled you closer, until your breasts pressed against his chest. “I have a lot to make up for.”

You twined your arms around his neck. “You’re sure? I don’t think you should aggravate your back like that just yet.” 

His lips twitched with the barest hint of a smile. “I’ll be fine, really.”

He kissed you again and you let him, enjoying the taste of him and the feeling of him pressed against you. You were happy you were finally able to touch him whenever you wanted. It felt better than in Spain. It was because you knew he loved you. 

Trowa pushed you against the wall and pressed his knee between your thighs. He pulled your shirt up and broke the kiss.

You gazed at him with eyes filled with desire. “Are you…”

“Yes,” he all but growled, and you quickly raised your arms so he could pull your shirt over your head. 

Your breath caught and you gasped when his lips found the top of your left breast. “Trowa…” 

Sensations burned through your body and the familiar warmth of desire settled between your legs. You grabbed his hand and gently pushed him back, giving him a grin. “I have a very comfortable bed, you know.”

You stepped away from the wall and pulled him with you, leading him to your bedroom. He stepped inside and stood still, taking in the ambiance of your room. It had a romantic touch, but it was inviting and cozy, done in soft colors and one wall in a daring, deep plum color. You closed the door and approached him from behind, taking hold of the hem of his shirt. You pulled it up and smiled when he took over, leaving you to admired the muscles of his back rippling under his skin. You reached out and carefully trailed your finger over one of the forming scars. You leaned in and tenderly kissed the red line marring his skin, taking notice of his sharp intake of breath at your actions.

“Does it hurt?” you asked quietly.

“No,” he breathed. 

You smiled and slid your free hand around his waist, trailing it up to his chest. His skin felt warm beneath your fingers and you were rewarded with a quiet groan when you teasingly circled one of his nipples with your fingers. You moved, stepping in front of him and tugged him closer for a kiss.

His hands grabbed hold of your hips and pulled you against him. You moaned softly at the contact and shivered when his hand slid up you back. Goosebumps rose on your skin. Trowa unclasped your bra and threw it away. The hand that had unclasped your bra now cupped your breast, while his other hand continued to hold you against him. 

You shivered and moaned again when his thump rolled over you nipple. You broke the kiss and pressed your lips against his neck. You could clearly feel the effect you had on him, his erection pressing against your thigh through layers of clothing. 

You couldn’t wait to feel his weight on top of you again, so you slowly stepped back and unbuttoned your jeans. He watched through heavy lidded eyes as you shimmied out of them, quickly undressing and moving to lie back on the bed. You gave him an inviting look and he moved, joining you on the mattress. The coarse fabric of his jeans bit into your skin as he settled on top of you, but you couldn’t care less. You pulled him down for a hungry kiss and shivered violently when his hands slid over your breasts and down to rest on your hips. 

Something in his touch told you that he was going to take his time, and you anticipated his next move. His kisses were slow and sensual, leaving you a trembling mess underneath him, his to do as he pleased. And he didn’t disappoint. 

Later, when you lay in his arms, you couldn’t stop the giddy smile that spread on your face. 

“What are you smiling about?” he asked you.

“I’m just happy,” you told him, while propping your weight up on your elbows, so you could look at him. 

He reached out and cupped your cheek, gently bumping his nose against yours. “Are you?”

You grinned at him. “Yes.”

The look in his eyes softened, turning tender, and your heart skipped a beat. He was so gorgeous, with his eyes still heavy and his cheeks a little flushed. At that moment you wanted to blurt out that you loved him. You felt your own cheeks heat up with a blush and quickly buried your head in his chest. 

His arms tightened around you. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” you told him. “I was about to say something really embarrassing.”

“Oh?”

“It’s much too soon for that,” you murmured. 

His fingers took hold of your chin and he tipped your head up, forcing you to meet his gaze. He was looking at you expectantly, clearly wanting to know what you kept from him. 

“You can tell me,” he encouraged you.

You closed your eyes, trying to figure out if it would be wise to dump your feelings onto him already. But you knew he wouldn’t let the matter go. So you swallowed up your pride and opened your eyes, preparing to say it.

“I love you,” you said softly.

His lips twitched into a small smile. “That’s good, because I love you too.”

You felt tears well up and were quick to hide your face again. But this time he let you. 

_My Lover,_ you thought, with a growing feeling of joy.

You kissed his shoulder and smiled when he kissed your forehead in return. You closed your eyes and soon you were both asleep.

-x-x-x-

“Mom…” you sighed, while resting your head against the back of the couch. “I’m happy here. I’m not coming back.”

You were beginning to feel quite desperate. She wasn’t letting the issue go and you weren’t going to change your mind either. You knew that Trowa was watching you from his place at the kitchen table, but the expression on his face was unreadable. 

“-Y/N-, you got kidnapped!” your mother argued vehemently. “You got caught in a terrorist attack! What’s going to be next?”

You closed your eyes and counted to ten before answering her. “The job comes with risks, but it’s fulfilling and I enjoy what I do. The pay is good, I’m happy. Jeez, can’t you just let me be?”

“I don’t want you to risk your life anymore!” she snapped. “Besides, Roy wants to make things right with you.”

“I have no interest in getting back together with Roy,” you told her, your voice turning cold. “And I don’t see the point in your mentioning him, given the fact that you didn’t even like him in the first place!”

“Don’t use that tone on me, young lady!”

“Then don’t tell me what to do!” you shot back. “I’ve got to go.”

“We’re not done talking!”

“Yes, we are!” 

You hung up and sighed, wearily rubbing your hands over your face. “I always wonder how she is able to make me feel like I’m five years old again.”

“She’s obviously concerned about your wellbeing.”

“She shouldn’t try and force her opinion on me.” You opened your eyes and found him getting up from his chair.

He approached you, and you could read the concern in his gaze. You were grateful when he sat down next to you and wrapped his arm around you. You rested your head against your shoulder and sighed. You could feel a headache coming up.

“She had the nerve to mention my ex,” you told him. 

His shoulders stiffened, but after a moment he relaxed again.

“I don’t see why. She never liked him.” You pulled a face. “As if it would make me consider going back.”

He nuzzled your hair. “Just give her some time.”

“Maybe it will help,” you allowed after giving it a thought. “It’s been like this ever since I signed up for the academy.”

You stayed in his arms a little while longer, enjoying being close to him.

“I have to go,” you finally said with a sigh. “Work is waiting.”

He nodded and kissed you. You got from the couch and walked into the hallway to get your coat. Trowa followed you and leaned against the wall.

“-Y/N-?” Mandy emerged from the guest bedroom.

“Yeah?” You turned around.

“Are you still planning to go shopping after work?” she asked you.

“Yeah. I need some new things and I thought I could combine it with a stop at the grocery store.”

“Great! Is it alright if I pick you up after work?”

“Sure!” You winked at your cousin and then kissed Trowa. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer. You smiled at him. “I’ m going to be late.”

He smirked slightly and pressed another kiss against your lips, before he released you.

“Bye,” you said, while opening the door. You turned around to smile at him.

He gave you a light shove and grabbed the door handle. “Hurry. You’re going to be late.”

You stuck out your tongue at him, kissed him once more, and ran down the walkway towards the elevator.

-x-x-x-

It was around four o’clock when the doorbell rang. Trowa looked up from the ground where he had been doing push-ups. He glared at the door and reluctantly got up when the doorbell rang again.

It couldn’t be you or Mandy since both of you had taken a key with you. He quickly looked around the room for his shirt, which he had discarded long ago. When he didn't see it, he went to the door and opened it.

A woman in her mid-forty’s stood there, glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Is -Y/N- here?” she asked.

“No. She went shopping after work. She’ll be home soon.” Trowa crossed his arms in front of his chest. Then he noticed the woman looked a lot like you. Aside from the obvious coloring, the cheekbones and mouth couldn’t be missed. _So, this is her mother._

“And you are?” the woman asked cooly.

“Her boyfriend.”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “I’ll wait inside.”

“Sure.” He stepped back to let her in and closed the door. He walked into the living room and spotted his shirt on the ground beside the couch. 

He walked towards it and grabbed it. He bit back a hiss when his back protested. Of course, the woman noticed and gave him a scrutinizing look. No doubt she saw the scars, but he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t going to be polite and keep her company. After his workout, he need a shower.

-x-x-x-

You closed the trunk of Mandy’s car after you had taken out your shopping bags. You groaned when you saw a familiar red car parked close to the entrance of the apartment building.

“What?” Mandy asked.

“My mother is here,” you answered. “Why the hell would she drive all the way over here?”

“Oh goody.” Mandy giggled.

When you entered your apartment you found, your mother at the table, glaring at the wall.

“Mom? What the hell did you do to Trowa?” you asked when you didn’t see your boyfriend.

She turned towards you. “Nothing. Do you know he doesn’t have proper manners? He left me here to take a shower!”

You couldn’t stop the burst of laughter. “Really?”

Mandy giggled. “It’s his routine, Aunt Margaret. I bet he was working out when you arrived.”

“What?!? How do you know that?” you asked, while glaring playfully at your cousin.

“I spend more time in this apartment than you,” she told you with a grin. “And no point in getting jealous, since the guy I’m dating is your mentor.

“You mean you’ve been spying on him?” 

“Well, it’s kinda hard to look away from those abs,” Mandy teased you.

“Why you-” You cut yourself off when you heard the door to the hallway open. You turned around and smiled when you saw Trowa enter the room. You were quick to make your way over to him. “Hi.”

You kissed him and wrapped your arms around his waist, snuggling into his shoulder. You could feel your mother’s glare on your back, but you ignored her, very intend on showing her that you weren’t going to leave Brussels. You smiled when Trowa’s arm slipped around your waist. He nuzzled your hair and pressed a kiss against your temple.

“Go and talk to her,” he told you quietly. “She came all the way here to see you.”

You sighed and reluctantly left the safety of his arms to turn towards your mother. “We can talk out on the balcony.”

She nodded and followed you through the kitchen and outside. You sat down in one of the lounge chairs and mentioned her to join you. 

“Trowa is right,” you said with a sigh. “You came all the way to see me, so I should let you talk.”

“You didn’t tell me you were seeing him,” she said.

You bit your lip and nodded. “I didn’t.”

“Mandy told me he protected you from the explosion.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. “He did.”

“Listen, -Y/N-,” Margaret said, her tone of voice heartfelt. “I hate having to fear for your life.”

“There is no need,” you assured her. “What happened in Spain was a stupid mistake on my part. And I don’t make the same mistake twice.”

“But the explosion…”

“We were at the wrong place at the wrong time,” you said. “You don’t have to fear for my life. I have a very good mentor and Trowa was my mentor before that.”

She sighed, still seeming distressed. “You are my only child. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

“You won’t,” you assured her. 

She reached out and took your hand in hers. “I am sorry.”

Relief washed over you and you smiled. “I am sorry too, Mom.”

She leaned over and hugged you, her sniffling indicating that she was crying. You hugged her back, happy that she seemed to accept the situation as it was. 

“I’ll trust him to keep you safe,” she told you.

“Thanks, Mom.” You drew back and smiled at her. “Let’s go inside and get some tea.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

**\- End part 4 -**


	5. Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! The final part! During the upcoming weekend I will start posting Heero’s story for this series! 
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing, its characters, or you.

**Now and Forever  
Part 5**

_Saint Anna Castle, Brussels, AC 206_

You fidgeted with the veil, biting your lip as a mixture of nerves and happiness raced through your veins. “Do you think he will like it?”

Mandy chuckled and quickly powdered your cheeks. “You look beautiful. Stop biting your lip.”

“Sorry.”

You turned towards the mirror again and looked at your reflection. "I can’t believe I’m getting married."

Your mother came forward and slipped an arm around your waist. “You better start believing it.”

You grinned at her. “It only seems like it was yesterday that he asked me.”

Your mother smiled and presented you with a delicate silver comb. “I wore this on my own wedding day.”

“Oh God,” you crooned, feeling tears burn in your eyes. You blinked rapidly to keep them at bay, terrified to ruin the make-up that Mandy had so painstakingly applied. 

Your mother slipped the comb into your hair. 

“Now… that suffices for something old and borrowed,” Mandy said with a cheeky smile. “I want to give you something blue.”

She handed you a small box. You opened it and laughed when you found a delicate blue garter inside. “Oh god! I love this!”

You lifted up the skirt of your dress and Mandy helped you by slipping the garter on. 

“And now it’s my turn,” Catherine said, while handing you a flat jewelry box. “Something new.”

You gave her a warm smile and opened the box, your eyes widening in awe as you took in the beautiful pearls that greeted you. “Oh, wow…”

You hugged her and sniffed. “You all spoil me.”

“You’re marrying my brother,” Catherine told you affectionately. “Of course I get to spoil you.”

She took the necklace out of the box and fastened it around your neck. You couldn’t help but turn towards the mirror once more, your appearance once again taking you by surprise. You seemed to glow with happiness. You wore a simple dress with tiny straps, a tight bodice covered in delicate silver embroidery, and a flowing chiffon skirt. Your hair had been put up in a bun of knots and curls, adorned with a simple veil. 

“Trowa is a very lucky man,” Catherine told you with a grin.

Mandy smiled too. "He wouldn’t dare to say ‘no’, if he saw you."

You pouted. “He indeed wouldn’t.”

“How much time do we have left?” your mother asked Mandy.

Your cousin glanced at her watch and grinned. “Twenty minutes. The photographer should be here in five minutes for some portraits.”

You walked over to the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the castle gardens stretching out under the window. You remembered the day you had walked through the gardens after Relena and Quatre’s wedding, envisioning how your own wedding would take place there. It hadn’t taken much to persuade Trowa to have you wedding here. 

“Ladies!” Relena came walking into the room, carrying a tray with champagne flutes on them. “Let’s have a toast!”

“This early already?” you questioned, while turning around.

She gave you a grin as she handed you one of the delicate crystal glasses. “You’re only getting married once, so we have to toast!”

As on cue, the photographer came in and smiled as she saw the glasses. “Excellent idea! Line up ladies!”

Twenty minutes later, you found yourself descending the staircase, the taste of champagne still on your tongue and a giddy feeling spreading in your stomach. You met your father in the hallway, who looked handsome and proud in his tuxedo. He was holding your bouquet, a mingling of white roses, orchids, and Lily of the Valley. 

The photographer came to snap a picture of you and your father together, and then disappeared outside. You took a deep breath. 

“Ready?” your father asked you, while offering you his arm.

You took it and nodded. “Yeah…”

You turned to face the open doorway and heard how the bridal march started to play outside. You walked out into the sun, towards you destiny.

The ceremony had been simple, but very beautiful, full of laughter, love, and a few tears of happiness. And you had loved the way Trowa had looked at you. His eyes had showed happiness, love, and contentment. And when he had said “I do.” he had smiled at you. He had kissed you so tenderly; it had made your heart ache and tears of happiness form in your eyes. 

After the ceremony, you had lunch and then it was time for a party. The Castle’s gardens made a lovely background as you danced with your husband and then with your father. You were utterly delighted when you could even get Heero so far to dance with you. 

“I think that if I’d told you that I knew it would come to this three years ago, you would have laughed in my face,” he told you with a smirk.

“What? Me and Trowa marrying?” you asked.

“Hn…”

You glanced at your husband, -God, it felt heavenly to call him that- and smiled. “He did make me very miserable back then.”

Heero chuckled. “And yet I knew it would all work out.”

“How come you’re suddenly such an expert on matters of love?” you asked him with a grin. “As far as I know, you’re the only one who hasn’t been snatched up by a woman yet.”

He shrugged. “I haven’t met the right one yet.”

“I see.” You gave him a cheeky smile. “I have a lovely cousin, who would love to dance with you.”

“Don’t go playing matchmaker,” Heero warned you. “It’s bad enough your other cousin is practically joined at the hip with Duo.”

You laughed. “Oh, and you don’t even know how bad it is yet!” 

He gave you a confused look.

“I’m not telling,” you said with an innocent expression.

The confused look turned into a glare, and although you had gotten used to that look coming from him, you really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it on your wedding day.

“Fine. He’s gonna ask Mandy to marry him.”

Heero smirked. “I know.”

“How come you knew before I did?” you exclaimed.

“Because I’m Duo’s best friend.”

You ended the dance and grinned. “I’ll let you get away with it.”

“Good.”

“On one condition.” Your grin turned wicked and you mentioned your cousin Tessa over. The breathtaking, leggy blonde came strolling your way with a questioning look on her face. You watched as Heero swallowed. “Heero, this is Tessa. Dance with her.”

And you promptly turned around and left them alone. You smiled gleefully as you made your way over to Trowa. He looked gorgeous in a tux, the suit’s jacket emphasizing the width of his shoulders. You slid your arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. 

“Hi,” you murmured.

“Enjoying yourself?” he questioned, while slipping his arms around your waist. 

“Hmm… yes.” 

A flash on your left side told you that the photographer had captured you and Trowa like this. You had no doubt the picture would capture your feelings for him written on your face. 

“This is the perfect day, don’t you think?” you asked him.

“Hmm.” He rested his forehead against yours, a warm glint in his eyes. 

“You know what Heero told me?” you murmured. “That he knew it would come to this.”

Trowa threw back his head and laughed out right. The hearty sound of mirth coming from him made your heart skip a beat. He didn’t laugh out loud very often, so you treasured the moments when he did.

“And what did you do?”

You chuckled. “I made him dance with Tessa.”

You watched as he bit his lip to contain another burst of laughter. “You, my dear wife, are a scheming little thing.”

“Am I?” you asked, your face a picture of innocence.

“Oh yes.” He pressed a kiss against your temple. “I don’t think Tessa is going to let him walk away.”

You smiled at him. “You think?”

“I’m sure.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder and swayed with him to the beat of the music. A small, content smile played over your face when he rested his cheek against your hair.

“Have I already told you that you look beautiful?” he asked.

“Only so many times,” you told him. “But I like hearing it.”

“Hmm…” 

“Are you happy?” you asked him.

“Do you have to ask that?” He sounded a little surprised by your question, and you lifted your head from his shoulder to smile at him. “Of course I am. I love you.”

You leaned in to nuzzle his cheek. “I love you too.”

“That’s pretty good.”

He kissed you. It was a tender kiss, but when he nipped your bottom lip gently, you knew the kiss held a promise. You shivered. A promise for the wedding night. When he broke the kiss, his eyes were sparkling with mischief. 

“Stop looking at me like that. It makes me wonder what you are thinking,” you said.

“I am thinking I’m the happiest man in the universe,” he said softly.

You smiled and hugged him. “And I am the happiest woman.”

-x-x-x-

Later that evening, when you lay in his arms in the hotel room you had rented for the night, you couldn’t help but sigh in contentment. 

“This really was the perfect day,” you murmured against his chest.

His fingers ran through your hair and you could feel him smile against your forehead. “I can’t help but agree with you.”

“Hmm… and the next two weeks I’ll have you all to myself.” You tipped your head back to kiss him and grinned. “And I’m planning to enjoy myself.”

“Are you?” His grin flashed and he playfully nipped on your bottom lip. 

You twined your arms around his neck and rolled onto your back, pulling him on top of you. You wiggled underneath him, pressing your body against his. “Hmm… yes.”

You felt his body react, his erection stirring against your thigh. You watched as his eyes darkened and then he leaned in to capture your mouth with his. You kissed him back eagerly, moaning in approval when he shifted so that his hips settled between your thighs. You lifted your legs and wrapped them around his waist, your hands drifting down to caress over his back, feeling his muscles move under scarred flesh. 

This man was your life. He completed you, made you feel wonderful and loved. His name left your lips on a trembling whisper as he slipped inside of you, setting a slow rhythm that left you aching for more. His mouth was tender against your own, as he kept drowning you with deep kisses. Pleasure came, simple and sweet, and you smiled up at the ceiling when he lowered his head to rest against your shoulder.

“We should order room service,” you murmured in his hair. 

“Why?”

“I’m hungry and I kinda want to cover you in whipped cream,” you told him, causing him to chuckle.

“Who says I’ll agree with that?”

“I do.”

“You, Mrs. Barton, are getting cheeky.”

A warm smile spread on your face. “I love it when you call me that. Say it again.”

“Tsk, so demanding,” he teased. “Mrs. Barton.”

You laughed and pulled him down for a kiss. He rolled the both of you around, so you lay sprawled on top of him, and you blindly reached for the phone on the nightstand. 

“Now… Time to order that whipped cream.”

-x-x-x-

“Mom! Mom!” You ran into your parent’s house, breathless and your face glowing with happiness.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Your mother came hurrying into the hallway, a concerned look on her face. “You look a little pale.”

“Nothing is wrong!” you exclaimed with a grin, and added the last word. “Grandma!”

Margareth stared at you, a dumbfounded look on her face. “Did you just call me…”

“Uhuh.” Your grin turned into a million kilowatt smile.

“Does that mean…”

“YES! I’m pregnant!” you exclaimed.

Margareth dashed forward and hugged you. “Oh, that so wonderful!”

“Thanks.” You hugged her back, tears of happiness clouding your vision.

“How far along are you?”

“About five weeks.” You pulled back and rubbed your cheeks, quickly erasing the evidence of your tears. “I feel like I can take on the world!”

Your mother’s smile was wide and beaming, pride gleaming in her eyes. “Gods, I’m so happy for you! Where is Trowa?” 

“Still at work, he’ll come over when he is finished.” You had wanted to wait for him so you could tell your parents together, but you hadn’t been able to sit still in the apartment any longer and contain your excitement. 

“Your father will be home soon. Oh Dear, let’s make a special meal. We have to celebrate!”

At the end of the afternoon, Trowa’s car pulled up in front of the house. You rushed outside and jumped into his arms. He kissed you by greeting, his hands cupping your cheeks. You slipped your arms around his waist and sighed happily.

You smiled when he pulled back. “Hey you. How was work?”

“Hmm… Like all the other days.” Trowa nuzzled your hair.

“That sounds pretty boring.”

“Does it?” One of his hands came to rest on your still flat belly. “And how was your day?”

“I went shopping with my mother.” You pressed another kiss against his lips. “And I have missed you.”

His lips twitched a bit. “I guess I have to make up for that, huh?”

You smirked. “Well, you have to enjoy yourself now, because I’ll get fat in a few months.”

“You’re not getting fat, it’s called being pregnant,” he said. “And you will still be beautiful to me.”

“Oh stop, you’re going to make me blush,” you teased him, while trying to contain the giddy smile that threatened to spread on your face.

He kissed your temple and nuzzled your hair. “I love you.”

You tightened your hold on him and sighed. “I love you too.”

You looked up and kissed him once more, just because you felt a need to express your happiness. His hand came up to cradle the back of your neck, firmly keeping you in place as he deepened the kiss. His tongue found yours in a slow dance, and you felt the world around you fade away as you focused solely on him. You pressed closer to him, lining your body up against his. You smiled into the kiss when he tightened his hold on you. 

“Shall we go inside?” you asked, when you broke the kiss

He nodded and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. He smiled slightly when he saw that your hand came to rest on your belly and a smile spread on your face.

“My mother is super excited,” you said as you made your way to the front door. 

“Good.” He smirked. “How did your father react?”

“Well…” you said tauntingly. “You knocked up his only daughter, and… Just kidding. He’s happy with the prospect of being a grandfather.”

Trowa chuckled and squeezed your shoulder, before he was practically glomped by your mother, who had been waiting in the hallway.

-x-x-x-

“Can you imagine we’ll be parents in less than eight months?” you asked him a few days later, as you lay in bed.

“Hmm…” 

He opened his eyes and looked at you. His eyes where still heavy lidded from the passion you had shared. He buried one of his hands in your hair and pulled you closer for a kiss. You moved closer to him and wrapped your arms around his neck. 

“I’m so excited,” you murmured against his lips. “I really hope the baby will have your eyes.”

Something in his gaze softened, warmed, and you sighed dreamily. 

“Soon we’ll have to get the nursery ready,” you said softly. “Can you imagine us picking out all the colors and the furniture? Oh, and clothes.”

“I imagine your father will want to help with the nursery.”

“Oh yes. And my mother has this antique crib that I want.” You bit your lip as you gazed up at the ceiling in thought. “It’s so pretty, and looks so old.”

“That’s why it is called antique.”

“Smartass.” You clucked your tongue at him and grinned. 

He pulled you closer once more and pressed his mouth against yours again, rolling you onto your back as he did so.

“How many children you want anyway?” he asked between kisses.

“Hmm… two or three.”

“I thought you wanted a big family.” 

You smirked teasingly. “After three, you’d be getting old.”

He watched your smirk widen into a nasty grin and his hands grabbed your waist. “Are you calling me old?”

You gasped when he started to tickle you. You tried to squirm out of his grasp but failed miserably. 

“Stop it!” you laughed.

He smirked at you. “Now, why would I do that?”

“Because I’m cute?” you tried, gasping.

While Trowa pondered over that statement, you grabbed his hands. You wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him on top of you. You brought your mouth to his ear and nipped his earlobe. 

“Because I’m irresistible?” you asked huskily.

He smirked. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” 

-x-x-x-

“Ugh… I think I’m going to sit down and not move another inch!” you groused, while planting your hands against your lower back for support. 

Trowa gave you a concerned look from his place on the stepladder, where he was fastening the lamp to the ceiling in the nursery. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” You rubbed your hand over your forehead, trying to hide your weariness. “Just tired.”

He hopped off the stepladder and came over to press his lips against your forehead. “You need to take it easy.”

“Hmm…” You rubbed your hand over your rounded belly and smiled. “This little man has been kicking a lot today.”

“I see…” His hand joined your on top of the baby bump, and a small smile came to play over his lips. 

It was still thrilling to see the amazement in his eyes, to see how excited he was about your pregnancy. He might not show it as any other man would have done, but you knew it was there. And that made him uniquely Trowa and so damn precious to you. 

“Go and sit on the couch,” he murmured in your hair. “I’ll finish up here and join you afterwards.”

“Alright.” You gave him a small smile and leaned in for a kiss a quick kiss, not leaving the room before you had taken another good look at it.

It was done is soft tones of green and white, giving it a fresh and inviting look. The antique crib you had wanted to confiscate stood proudly along the wall, and stuffed animals sat on the shelves that lined the walls. The commode was your pride, because Trowa and your father had made it themselves, as well as the closet that stood in the corner. Already it was filled with adorable baby clothes, made of soft fabric that you could admire for hours. 

You settled on the couch with a cup of tea and propped your aching feet up. You had pulled on some thick woolen socks in cheerful pink colors to keep your feet warm and you wiggled your toes in delight. You sipped your tea and sighed. 

You were seven months into your pregnancy. The nursery was almost done and you were slowly starting to prepare for your baby’s birth. You were excited to finally be able to hold him in your arms. You knew you were having a boy. Some gut instinct had told you, even before the ultrasounds had confirmed it. 

You turned your head to watch Trowa enter the room. He went into the kitchen and came back with a mug of coffee. He sat down on the couch, making you lift your feet and rested them on his lap. The both of you sat in peaceful silence for a while, sipping your beverages, until you felt a sharp jab in your belly.

“Ow…” you groaned. “He really has strong little legs.”

Trowa chuckled and rested his hand on top of your belly, a small smile spreading on his face when the baby kicked again. He put his empty mug down on the coffee table, and turned his attention to your feet. 

“Oh, you really are my dream man,” you told him with a content sigh when he started massaging your left foot.

He smirked. “I’m just trying to keep you happy. I never know when all those hormones will make you turn on me.”

You playfully swatted his arm. “Shut up.”

He kneaded your calve, before switching to your right foot. You finished your tea and stretched your arm to put your empty mug on the coffee table. You settled back on the couch, fully preparing to enjoy those strong callused fingers kneading your skin. He pushed your pant legs up so he had better access to your legs. You smiled when he lifted your foot and pressed a kiss against your exposed ankle. 

“Ow…” you groaned when the baby kicked again.

Trowa lowered your leg and moved, gently pushing your sweater up to expose your belly. Butterflies exploded in your stomach when he tenderly kissed the baby bump. 

“Hey you,” he said to your belly. “Mommy is complaining about your kicking.”

You couldn’t stop the giggle that burst from your throat. “Do you think he’ll hear you in there?”

“I don’t know. It’s worth a shot.”

You smoothed your hand over his hair, a content smile spreading on your face when he nuzzled your belly. 

“I love you,” you told him.

He gazed up at you, a tender look in those forest green eyes. “I love you more.”

“That so?” you questioned with a grin. 

“Hmm…” He moved, so he was lying beside you in the small space between your side and the back of the couch. “Do I have to prove it?”

You twined your arms around his neck and tugged him down for a kiss. “You can prove it now.”

He nipped your bottom lip, before gently drawing it into his mouth. You moaned quietly, tightening your hold on him as you lost yourself into the kiss. It was amazing, you mused with a smile, that seven months into your pregnancy, when you often felt like you swallowed a watermelon and unattractive, he could still make you feel so woman. You murmured your approval when he shifted his attention to your neck, and stifled a groan when the baby kicked again.

Trowa chuckled and pulled back, a small smile on his face. “He thinks I’ve proved myself enough.”

You laughed and buried your face in his shoulder. 

-x-x-x-

“We really have to decide on a name,” you murmured, while trying to stifle a yawn.

“You keep changing ideas,” Trowa told you matter of factly. 

“I know. But it’s so hard to choose!” you pouted and sat up, albeit with a little effort. “And this baby’s due date is approaching really quickly.”

Trowa rolled over on his side, giving you a sleepy eyed look. “I liked Michael.”

You bit your lip as you gazed at him in the dim moonlight that shone thought the window. Michael had been your fist choice for a name, but there were so many other names that you liked as well. 

“Michael Barton,” you murmured, testing the name for the umpteenth time. “I guess you’re right.”

Trowa reached for your hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Go to sleep.”

“I’m gonna get a glass of water first,” you told him, while throwing off the covers. “I’m thirsty.”

You were hallway to the door when you felt and heard an audible ‘pop’. “Oh God.”

“What’s the matter?” Trowa asked, while sitting up.

You turned towards him with wide eyes. “I think my water just broke.”

You had just finished saying it, and then you felt the warm liquid rush down, trickling along your legs to the floor. Trowa was up the next instant, throwing on a sweater and fishing the jeans he had worn during the evening from the floor. He grabbed the overnight bag you had packed during the weekend from the closet. He dropped it on the bed before rushing into the bathroom to get you a towel. 

“Here,” he said.

“Thanks.” 

“I’ll call the hospital to let them know we’ll be on our way soon.”

You nodded and changed, trying to remain calm. You knew there was nothing to be worried about yet. The contractions probably would start in an hour or so. Trowa returned and grabbed your overnight back. 

“Let’s go,” he said.

You nodded and followed him downstairs. 

“No contractions yet?” he asked, as you were on your way to the hospital.

“No.” You shook your head and turned your head to watch him.

He could read the excitement in your eyes, as well as the nervousness. He rested his hand on your thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. You covered his hand with your own and he could feel the slight tremble in it. 

“Can you imagine it?” he asked you, giving you a look from the corner of his eyes. “We’re gonna hold our son really soon.”

He felt the tremble disappear, and your fingers tightened around his. “I can’t wait for it.”

He smiled and concentrated on the road again.

Hours, exhausting hours later, you fell back on the bed, panting harshly as you fought to get your breath back, as wails filled the room. Your mother was laughing and crying at the same time, stroking your hair, as Trowa was instructed to cut the navel cord. The doctor lifted the baby up and gently nestled it on your chest. You sobbed with happiness as you got your first look at your son. You wrapped your arms around his small body and met Trowa’s eyes as he came to stand beside the bed. 

“Look at him,” you crooned, tears clogging your voice. “He’s so beautiful.”

Trowa reached out, his large hand gently stroking over the baby’s head. “He is.”

Your smile beamed when the tiny infant opened his eyes. “Hello Michael.”

“So it’s Michael after all,” your father said with a chuckle.

“Yes.” You allowed the nurse to take your son out of your arms to check him and clean him up. “Actually, we just decided on it before he announced he was ready to be born.”

You reached for Trowa’s hand and entwined your fingers with his. “I’m so happy.”

He leaned in to kiss you, pride gleaming in his eyes. “Me too.”

The nurse came back, little Michael securely wrapped in the blue blanket that you had brought for him. “Congratulations. He’s got all ten fingers and ten toes, and has a good pair of lungs on him.”

You gave Trowa’s hand a squeeze and smiled. “Your turn to hold him.”

You watched, a tender look in your eyes as Trowa took his son into his arms. To see your husband, tall, broad shouldered and strong, hold such a tiny human being, was so touching it brought tears to your eyes. Your mother saw and squeezed your shoulder, leaning in to kiss your forehead.

“It looks good on him, doesn’t it?” you asked her quietly.

“Yes,” she agreed with you. 

She went over to Trowa, examining her grandson with a proud smile, before spontaneously kissing Trowa’s cheek. “Congratulations.”

He gave her a rare grin. “Thanks.”

He met your gaze and approached the bed, gently lowering Michael into your arms. The baby was squirming in the blanket, but quieted down when it felt his mother’s touch. 

“Hello beautiful,” you told him with a smile, while taking hold of one tiny hand. “Aren’t you a beautiful boy?”

You nuzzled his head and smiled. At that moment, tired as you may be, you felt like you could take on the world. It was a thrilling feeling.

-x-x-x-

“Why do I have to come along? Babies all look the same!” Duo complained. 

“They do not!” Mandy grabbed his hand and pulled her husband along with her. 

“They cry the same, heck they even smell the same!”

“Duo!” Mandy glared at him, although the attempt was halfhearted. She knew that Duo was nervous about meeting a baby, because days earlier, she had -oh so casually- told him that she was thinking of having a child of her own.

Duo glared back. It was clear he wasn’t ready to think about having a baby of his own yet.

Finally, they reached the room. Mandy opened the door and stepped inside, dragging Duo along with her. She spotted you on the bed by the window. There was a dark-haired bundle in her cousin’s arms. Trowa was sitting in the chair beside the bed, joy and pride shining in his eyes.

“Aw…” Mandy approached the bed and sat down on the edge.

“Do you want to hold him?” Your voice sounded tired, but happy.

Mandy took the small boy in her arms. “He is so beautiful.”

You smiled and nodded. “He is, isn’t he?”

“Duo.” Mandy smiled at him.

“What?” he sat down beside her.

You looked at Trowa and reached out for him. He took you hand and brought it up to his lips. He kissed your fingers. You smiled at the tender gesture and he gave you his trademark small smile in return.

Mandy was cooing at the baby, and you noticed the slightly uneasy look on Duo’s face. You grinned and addressed your partner. “Duo, what’s wrong?”

Duo grumbled something.

Mandy glared at him. “He didn’t want to come along.”

You pouted. “Don’t you love me anymore, Duo?”

Duo stuck out his tongue at you. “It’s not that.”

“What then?”

He actually blushed. He really didn’t want to say _that_ in front of Trowa. Mandy smirked in victory, causing Duo to glare at her.

“What’s his name anyway?” Duo asked, quickly changing the topic.

“Michael,” Trowa said.

“So, you still speak?”

Trowa sent him a glare.

“Duo,” Mandy warned.

You suppressed a yawn. “No fighting over my son’s head please.”

“No worries,” Mandy said with a chuckle, while turning her attention back to Michael. “I can see so much Trowa in him.”

“Hmm… I hope he will have his eyes,” you said with a smile. “We’ll see once his eyes start showing their true color.”

“Here,” Mandy said, while holding Michael out to Duo. “Why don’t you hold him?”

You watched with a smile as Duo took your son into his arms, his expression taking on one of awe and a hint of shyness. Mandy leaned into him, watching the infant over her husband’s shoulder. You had no doubt that whatever had made Duo protest against Mandy’s idea was disappearing now. Holding a baby humbled a man, even one like Duo.

You watched them for a while, not really noticing that your eyes started drooping.

“I think it’s better if we leave.” Mandy said, once she noticed. 

“It’s okay,” you told her with a tired smile.

“Nonsense. I can come back tomorrow.” She gave you a smile and leaned in to kiss your cheek. 

Trowa went to take his son from Duo, who then came to kiss your cheek as well. “See you soon.”

“Hmm…” You grinned at him.

Together, Mandy and Duo left the room, their hands entwined. 

You smiled at your husband. “I’m guessing they’ll be having a baby next year.”

“You think?” he asked, giving you an amused look.

“Oh, I’m sure.” You gave him a cheeky grin, and then noticed how he gently tugged the blanket more securely around his son’s body. “It looks good on you.”

To your utter delight, his cheeks colored a light pink.

Your smile widened when he sat down on the edge of the bed. You took Michael’s small hand in yours. The small boy yawned, causing his father to smile.

You thought he couldn’t look more beautiful. The look in his eyes made you hold your breath. Never had you seen so many emotions in the green depths: love, happiness, joy, contentment, and fatherly pride.

You continued to look at him and the spell between him and the small bundle in his arms. You didn’t speak, afraid you would break that spell. You felt sleep claim your body. You closed your eyes and drifted off. You felt his weight leave the bed and his lips touched you forehead in a tender gesture. You felt him smile, a thing he did more often and then he spoke. His words where simple, but enough to let tears form into your eyes:

“I’m so proud of you…”

**\- The end -**

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! :)


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